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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "The Possibility of Evil".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The narrator says that Miss Strangeworth's letters "dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion" (424). What is this saying about suspicion?
(a) It is the kind of thing that people argue about.
(b) It is a negative force in the lives of the people of the town.
(c) It is flexible in the way that facts are not.
(d) It is something that Miss Strangeworth feels more and more over time.

2. What does Miss Strangeworth seem to think her family's place in the world is?
(a) To counsel others and help them understand how to live a happy and ethical life.
(b) To keep an eye on everyone else and hold them to a high moral standard.
(c) To stay isolated from the wickedness of the world.
(d) To provide an example of kindness and concern for others.

3. When Miss Strangeworth gets home from the grocery store, why does she not have the cup of tea she thinks about having?
(a) She has forgotten to buy tea at the grocery store.
(b) She is too tired and decides to have a nap.
(c) She had a cup earlier in the day and thinks that a second cup is too indulgent.
(d) She believes that it will spoil her appetite for her midday meal.

4. Who is the author of "The Possibility of Evil"?
(a) Henry James.
(b) Flannery O'Connor.
(c) Katherine Anne Porter.
(d) Shirley Jackson.

5. What does Helen Crane say she is worried that her daughter should be doing more?
(a) Trying to move around.
(b) Eating.
(c) Looking around at the world.
(d) Babbling and making speech sounds.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old is Miss Strangeworth?

2. What are the youngest children at the post office doing?

3. What is the best definition of "proverbial" in the sentence "Miss Strangeworth's hats were proverbial in the town" (426)?

4. Linda suggests that since no one in town seems to care about her and Dave, they should not bother to help anyone else. When Dave decides to help anyway, what does it demonstrate?

5. When Miss Strangeworth thinks to herself "People must live graciously, after all," (425), what does this show about her as a person?

(see the answer key)

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