Story of an Hour

Which line is important enough to be included in a summary of the passage?

• “Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too, near her.”
• “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with spring life.”
• “She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her.”
• “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.”

Read this sentence: “‘Go away. I am not making myself ill.’ No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.”
Which of the following sentences is a correct evaluation of the message the author intended for the audience through this metaphor?

• Mrs. Mallard tells her sister to go away because she is overjoyed with her thoughts when looking out the
  window.
• Mrs. Mallard tells her sister to go away because she is drinking alcohol due to her husband’s death.
• Mrs. Mallard tells her sister to go away because she intends to commit suicide by drinking a poison.
• Mrs. Mallard tells her sister to go away because she is ill but does not want to admit it.

Which of the following is the best paraphrase of the first paragraph?

• Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine cannot speak, so Mr. Mallard’s friend Richards tells Mrs. Mallard that her
  husband has died. He found out from a telegram that came to his house from the railroad yard.
• Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine tells her angrily that her husband has died. Mr. Mallard’s friend Richards
  found out that he was responsible for a railroad accident that killed many people.
• Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine tells her gently that her husband has died. Mr. Mallard’s friend Richards
  found out in the newspaper office when news broke of an accident at the railroad. He waited to hear a
  second telegram before he hurried to her house so she would find out the news from someone she knew
  well.
• Mr. Mallard’s sister Josephine tells Mrs. Mallard that her husband has died. Josephine’s husband,
  Richards, was in the newspaper office when a man from the railroad came running in with a list of deaths
  from a railroad accident, and he saw Mr. Mallard’s name on it.

Which of the following accurately evaluates the changes in Mrs. Mallard’s character from the beginning to the end of the story?

• From overjoyed to depressed
• From sorrowful to thrilled
• From peaceful to concerned
• From fearful to impatient

Which statement best represents the irony of the passage?

• Mrs. Mallard doesn’t die of shock or sadness she finds out her husband has died, but she dies of shock or
  sadness when she realizes he is still alive.
• Mrs. Mallard realizes that she is actually happy when she finds out her husband has died.
• Josephine and Richards are worried that Mrs. Mallard is making herself ill by locking herself in her room.
• Richards hears at the newspaper office that Brently Mallard has died, but he is actually alive.

Read this line: There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.
What can the reader infer is the meaning of the word “impose”?

• Encourage
• Anger
• Weaken
• Force

What can the reader infer about Mrs. Mallard’s relationship with Mr. Mallard?

• Mr. Mallard was physically abusive towards Mrs. Mallard.
• Mrs. Mallard felt that Mr. Mallard pressured her into doing what he wanted.
• Mrs. Mallard believes Mr. Mallard was a criminal hiding his past crimes.
• Mr. Mallard let Mrs. Mallard do whatever she wanted to do.

Which of the following sentences from the passage supports the inference that Mrs. Mallard feels guilty for feeling happy after her husband’s death?

• “She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free!’”
• “It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.”
• “She was beginning to recognize this feeling that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to
  beat it back with her will.”
• “There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.”

Which of these is a characterization of Richards?

• Kind
• Impatient
• Rude
• Josephine's husband

The theme of the story is ___________,

• Death
• Freedom
• Happiness
• Depression