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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 do the people in town decide is wrong with Linda Stewart after they realize that she has not had a fight with her boyfriend?

2. When Miss Strangeworth discovers how much trouble she has caused for Linda and Dave, what does she think about it?

3. What kind of flowers does Miss Strangeworth send to the church for the celebration of the new minister's arrival?

4. According to the narrator, how do the townspeople feel about Miss Strangeworth and her house and her roses?

5. What detail is included to show that Miss Chandler is upset about something?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What evidence is there in the story that Miss Strangeworth is well-known and respected in the town?

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

4. 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?

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

6. Describe Miss Strangeworth's feelings about her roses.

7. Describe Miss Strangeworth's relationship with Tommy Lewis.

8. Describe the significance of the paper that Miss Strangeworth chooses for her anonymous notes.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Once the reader is aware of the story's "twist," many of the lines in the story take on a double meaning. Write an essay that explores these double meanings and the new dimension they contribute to a repeat reading of "The Possibility of Evil." Support your claims with direct quotations from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Certainly, Miss Strangeworth's behavior is extreme and cruel. But is Miss Strangeworth the only person in town who gossips and spreads rumors? Write an essay that makes a claim about the purpose of including details like the townspeople gossiping about Linda Stewart and the rumor about the tourist mistaking Miss Strangeworth's home for a museum. Support your claim with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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