NEW
Font size
WorksheetsThe Possibility of Evil Test Review
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 8mins
_____________ characterization tells the audience what the personality/details of the character are; ____________ characterization shows things that reveal the personality/details of a character.
External; internal
Indirect; direct
Direct; indirect
Internal; external
There are FIVE different methods of indirect characterization. What are they?
SPARK: Speech, Plot, Arc of story, Realistic portrayal, Kin (family)
STEAL: Speech, Thoughts, Effect on Others, Actions, Looks
THIEF: Thoughts, Height, Indirectization, Effect on Others, Feelings
TALLY: Thoughts, Actions, Looks, Likability, You Connect
(Part A) Why does Miss Strangeworth value both her roses and home so highly?
She has worked so hard to finally pay off her home.
Her grandfather built the home and both represent her family’s history.
She hates everyone in her town so uses her home and roses as a getaway
Her roses and home represent her level of money and success.
(Part B) Which of the following quotes is an example of indirect characterization giving the reader information about how highly Miss Strangeworth valued her roses and home?
“Miss Strangeworth took deep breaths and thought that there was nothing in the world like a fragrant summer day” (1).
“Miss Strangeworth went up her front steps, unlocked her front door with her key, and went into the kitchen to put away her groceries” (4).
“Miss Strangeworth awakened the next morning with a feeling of intense happiness” (8).
“From halfway down the block Miss Strangeworth could catch the heavy scent of her roses, and she moved a little more quickly” (4).
Miss Strangeworth’s motivation to stop and greet everyone she meets is most like that of a:
Recluse
Gossip
Tourist
Begger
Which sentence from the story best explains Miss Strangeowrth’s motivation for sending the letters?
“Many people seemed disturbed recently, Miss Strangeworth thought.”
“Miss Strangeworth never delayed when things had to be done.”
“The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet.”
“Miss Strangeworth had never had any self-consciousness before the children.”
Why does the author repeat the idea that there is only one Strangeworth left in town?
To bolster the local reputation of the Strangeworth family
To gain sympathy for Miss Strangeworth, the last living member of her family
To emphasize the duty Miss Strangeworth feels toward the town
To contrast Miss Strangeworth’s virtue with the evil of the world
The people who destroyed Miss Strangeworth’s roses would most likely agree with the saying
“A rose by any other name smells as sweet.”
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
“Easy come, easy go.”
“An eye for an eye”
Which word best describes Miss Strangeworth’s letters?
anonymous
colorful
helpful
tactful
You can infer that Miss Strangeworth mailed her letters after the post office closed because:
she was too busy during business hours
she wanted to avoid talking to the postal clerk
she didn’t want people to find out she was sending the letters
she wanted the letters to arrive early the next day
(Part A) A common theme in Shirley Jackson’s short stories is:
ordinary humans are capable of great evil
take pride in one’s work
secrets are best kept by one’s family
all humans are truly evil
(Part B) Choose the best quote to support the theme you chose above.
“She was fond of doing things exactly right”
“Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts; her letters all dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion”
“Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists often asked her to”
“This was, after all, her town, and these were her people; if one of them was in trouble she ought to know about it”
Which of the following is an example of direct characterization about Miss Strangeworth from the story?
“‘Old lady Strangeworth’s getting deaf,’ [the Harris boy] said.” (7).
“‘A princess can see a lot of trouble sometimes,’ Miss Strangeworth said dryly” (3).
“The day young Lewis left high school and went to work in the grocery, Miss Strangeworth had stopped calling him Tommy and started calling him Mr. Lewis” (2).
“She was seventy-one […] with a pretty little dimple showing by her lip” (1).
(Part A) Which of the following is a prominent or main character trait of Miss Strangeworth’s?
angry
jealous
nosy
careless
(Part B) Choose the quote that best supports this trait.
“Miss Strangeworth wondered, glancing at [Mrs. Harper] quickly, if she had been taking proper care of herself” (3).
“Miss Strangeworth stopped at her own front gate, as she always did, and looked with deep pleasure at her house” (4).
“Miss Strangeworth would frown a little and sound stern – ‘but it should have been a statue of my grandfather’” (1).
“She slipped her letters into the slot, and two of them fell inside. The third caught on the edge and fell outside” (7).
