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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of clam is a "chowder-doomed clam" (332)?

2. Which of the following literary techniques is used in the title "The Marry Month of May"?

3. Who is Miss Van Meeker Constantia Coulson?

4. Why is Mr. Coulson so clumsy on the afternoon after the ice is delivered?

5. There are "jonquils" near where Mr. Coulson is sitting. What are jonquils?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does O. Henry use dry humor to reveal the narrator's opinion about Mrs. Widdup in the narrative intrusion on page 333?

2. What is the thematic significance of the olfactory image of the city in springtime?

3. How does O. Henry characterize the month of May?

4. What happens when Mrs. Widdup makes an excuse to go into Mr. Coulson's room to speak with him after the ice is delivered?

5. What happens overnight that changes Mrs. Widdup and Mr. Coulson's fate?

6. What is the rhetorical purpose of the allusions to Puck and Circe?

7. Explain the significance of the diction "foxy" to describe Mrs. Widdup (333).

8. Explain the technique at work in the sentences "Sparrows wrangled happily everywhere outdoors. Never trust May" (333).

9. When Miss Coulson says that the supposedly chilly weather is "An instance...of winter lingering in the lap of spring," what double meaning does she have in mind? (335).

10. What is the significance of the sound of the overturned chair after Mr. Coulson confesses his feelings to Mrs. Widdup?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that compares and contrasts the themes and techniques used in Dekker's poem "The Merry Merry Month of May" with those of O. Henry's "The Marry Month of May." Use textual evidence from both pieces to defend your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a thesis about the significance of social class in "The Marry Month of May." Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that affirms, refutes, or qualifies the statement "The twist ending in "The Marry Month of May" is an 'unearned' twist, because it is not plausible given the story that leads up to it." Use textual evidence to support your claim.

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