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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 does Miss Strangeworth tell Mr. Lewis that he has forgotten to do?

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

3. Who is the author of "The Possibility of Evil"?

4. Miss Strangeworth stops to discuss an "appropriation" with Miss Chandler (422). What are they talking about?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is ironic about Dave Harris being the one to find and deliver Miss Strangeworth's dropped letter?

3. 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?

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

5. Explain how Miss Strangeworth's need to do things perfectly is shown in how she writes her letters.

6. Describe the exterior of Miss Strangeworth's house.

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

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

9. What does Miss Strangeworth write to Mrs. Harper, and what is she implying?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write an essay that examines the significance of the repetition of the phrase "lovely day" in "The Possibility of Evil." Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that explores the symbolic significance of Miss Strangeworth's habit of burning notes that are not perfect. Offer evidence from the story to support your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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