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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. Who planted the roses outside Miss Strangeworth's house?

2. What did Tommy Lewis call Miss Strangeworth in high school?

3. What does Miss Strangeworth fail to notice about her letters?

4. For how many years has Miss Strangeworth been writing her anonymous letters?

5. Why did Miss Strangeworth stop calling Tommy Lewis "Tommy" and start calling him "Mr. Lewis"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which writing utensils does Miss Strangeworth have available, and which one does she choose for her anonymous notes?

2. What does the green letter at the end of the story say, and what does it imply?

3. What details in the story let the reader know that Miss Strangeworth herself does not believe some of the accusations she is making?

4. Who is Linda Stewart, and why has she been so upset?

5. Describe the main character of "The Possibility of Evil."

6. Describe the setting of the story "The Possibility of Evil."

7. What is ironic about Miss Strangeworth's thoughts as she notices that various townspeople seem distressed?

8. What is ironic about Miss Strangeworth's criticisms of Helen and Don Crane's parenting?

9. To whom do the townspeople want to dedicate a statue, and why does Miss Strangeworth say that it should be a statue of her grandfather, instead?

10. What does Miss Strangeworth write to Mrs. Foster about her upcoming surgery, and what is she implying?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that explores the thematic motif of legacies in "The Possibility of Evil." Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that explores the symbolic significance of Strangeworth House. Make sure to consider its physical characteristics, its place in town history, and the feelings that it engenders in Miss Strangeworth and others. Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Look up the psychological concept of "projection." Then, write an essay that affirms, refutes, or qualifies the following claim: "The Possibility of Evil" is at its heart a story about the consequences of projection. Support your claims with both textual evidence and evidence from reliable outside sources; cite all sources in MLA format.

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