The Story of an Hour Plot and Analysis

From what ailment does Mrs. Mallard suffer?

• Kidney failure

• Pneumonia

• Cancer

• Heart trouble

Who broke the news to Mrs. Mallard that her husband is dead?

• Richards

• Josephine

• The internet

• She found out herself

What does Louise say repeatedly while looking out the window?

• "Finally"

• "Yay"

• "Free"

• "Alas"

Look at the following quote and choose the answer that best matches...

"It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long."

Here, shudder means....

• To tremble in excitement

• To tremble in sadness

• To shake it off

• To tremble in hope

According to the selection, why is the line "she had died of heart disease -- of the joy that kills" ironic?

• Because she didn't die

• Joy cannot literally kill someone

• She was sad that her husband was dead

• She was sad that her husband was actually alive

"She was drinking in the very elixir of life through that open window."

This passage demonstrates that Mrs. Mallard is feeling which of the following emotions?

• Angry and bitter

• Happy and hopeful

• Sad and devastated

• Indifferent and bored

How did Louise Mallard respond to the news of her husband at first?

• She locked herself in her room

• She cried

• She laughed

• She just stared

In 1894, this story was probably controversial because...

• Railroad accidents were common and this story made people lobby for safer railroads

• Women were not supposed to think independently and Louise Mallard's thought process was too extreme

• Authors did not commonly use irony and Kate Chopin's use of irony was groundbreaking

• None of the above

Which of the following details best demonstrates Louise Mallard's feelings toward her newfound freedom?

• There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully

• What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being.

• She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms

• Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death

What is the mood of the story?

• Somber/Hopeful/

  Tragic

• Humorous/Hopeful/Tragic

• Joyful/ Tragic/ Hopeful

• Optimistic/ Somber/ Tragic