Short Fiction

"The Open Window"

Based on Nuttel’s flashback, why has his sister given him a letter of introduction to Mrs. Sappleton?

• She hopes her brother will fall in love with Mrs. Sappleton’s young niece.

• She wants her brother to go hunting with Mr. Sappleton to regain his health.

• She does not want her brother to be lonely and mope while he is in the country.

• She hopes the Sappleton’s spaniel will help her brother overcome his fear of dogs.

"The Open Window"

What happens just before the men enter the room?

• Nuttel faints.

• Nuttel admits his fear of dogs.

• Vera pretends to be horrified.

• Mrs. Sappleton leaves the room.

"The Open Window"

The image of an open window fits the themes of this story because it suggests

• the healing power of nature for nervous people.

• the nearby presence of the supernatural.

• the importance of escaping one’s everyday routine.

• an opening through which surprises can enter one’s life.

"The Open Window"

When Mrs. Sappleton exclaims, “Here they are at last!” Nuttel thinks she

• is crazy.

• has seen a ghost.

• has seen her true brother.

• is tricking them.

"The Californian's Tale"

Which detail most clearly foreshadows the conclusion?

• Henry’s cottage is nicely furnished.

• Henry politely welcomes the narrator into the cottage.

• Henry states that his wife likes to read.

• Henry becomes distraught well before his wife is due home.

"The Californian's Tale"

The other old miners put a drug in Henry’s drink because they want to

• steal Henry’s wife.

• drug the narrator, but they make an error.

• keep Henry from becoming violent.

• keep Henry from looking for gold.

"The Californian's Tale"

The reader learns that Henry’s wife never returned because

• she decided to stay at her parents’ home.

• her horse became lame and threw her off.

• she ran away with a younger miner.

• Indians captured and took her away.

"The Californian's Tale"

Which is an important clue to the story ignored by the narrator?

• Joe’s command to take the other drink

• the lack of other women in the area

• the miner’s request to hear the wife’s letter

• the fact that everything in the house is neat and tidy

"Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket"

Toward the end of the story, as Tom kneels on the ledge staring into his apartment through the window, he feels a conflict between

• his joy at being so close to safety and his realization that he is still in great danger.

• his relief that Clare will be able to help him and his embarrassment at having to ask her.

• his relief at having made it back to his apartment and his dread of resuming his old life.

• his happiness at having retrieved the paper and his fear of dropping it again.

"Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket"

What character trait does Clare reveal in the way she treats Tom before she leaves for the movies?

• ambition.

• tension.

• patience.

• absent-mindedness.