Story of the Hour unit 4 questions master
1.Richards's reason for rushing to the Mallard house with the sad news is to
a. / make sure Mrs. Mallard knowsb. / keep Josephine from telling her
c. / find out whether the news is true
d. / prevent any shock to Mrs. Mallard
ANS:D
2.The narrator says that Mrs. Mallard is different from most other new widows because she
a. / accepts the news instantlyb. / wants to be left alone
c. / weeps wildly
d. / sits motionlessly
ANS:A
3.Which foreshadowing detail of the spring day helps you predict a change in Mrs. Mallard's sad mood?
a. / the feel of rain in the airb. / trees full of new leaves
c. / the shouts of the peddler
d. / sparrows in the eaves
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4.What detail helps you predict that Mrs. Mallard believes her life will improve?
a. / Her wide armchair is comfortable.b. / Her face is calm but lined.
c. / Blue sky appears between the clouds.
d. / She stares and thinks about nothing.
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5.What does Mrs. Mallard come to believe about imposing one's will on another person?
a. / Making another obey is always cruel.b. / A woman should bend to her husband's will.
c. / To do so is wrong, even if kindly intended.
d. / Men and women impose their wills differently.
ANS:C
6.Her husband's death makes Mrs. Mallard free because she
a. / lived with his unkindnessb. / can now live her own life
c. / wished that he were dead
d. / never loved her husband
ANS:B
7.Mrs. Mallard's conclusion about love is that it
a. / makes people want to be with othersb. / brings grief when someone dies
c. / makes men and women behave badly
d. / is far less important than freedom
ANS:D
8.Which ironic detail helps you predict Mrs. Mallard's ultimate end?
a. / She previously feared a long life.b. / She is sad at her husband's death.
c. / She wishes for a very long life.
d. / She cries in her room alone.
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9.Which event is the story's climax?
a. / Mr. Mallard's death, which causes the other eventsb. / the arrival of Mr. Mallard, because it is the turning point
c. / Mrs. Mallard's new joy, because it shows that she has grown
d. / the appearance of blue sky that foreshadows change
ANS:B
10.Richards tries to hide Mr. Mallard from Mrs. Mallard because
a. / Richards fears the sight of Mr. Mallard will shock herb. / Richards wants to be the first person to tell her
c. / Mrs. Mallard will be disappointed about not being free
d. / Mr. Mallard needs to be protected from his wife's feelings.
ANS:A
11.You can tell that society believed that women were fragile when Josephine
a. / tells the bad news in unfinished sentencesb. / stays downstairs when Mrs. Mallard goes up
c. / kneels in front of Mrs. Mallard's door
d. / insists that Mrs. Mallard open the door
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12.An ironic detail that helps you predict Mrs. Mallard's sudden end is her
a. / wish for a very long lifeb. / crying in her room alone
c. / previous fear of a long life
d. / sadness at her husband's death
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13.What does Mrs. Mallard come to realize about her life without her husband? Include two details from the story.
ANS:
Responses will vary. Students may describe any two of the following things that Mrs. Mallard comes to realize about life without her husband:
A. Her future will belong only to her (lines 46-47).
B. She can live for her own wants and needs (lines 49-50).
C. She values this freedom for herself more than she values her husband's love (lines 55-57).
14.Name one way that Mrs. Mallard seems to change physically when she realizes what her future will be without her husband.
ANS:
Responses will vary. Students may give one of the following ways that Mrs. Mallard changes physically when she realizes that she will have freedom without a husband:
a. She comes down the stairs with a look of triumph (lines 68-69).
b. She walks like the goddess of Victory (lines 69-70).
11.What does Richards do to be sure of the news?
ANS:
He waits for a second telegram to be sure that Mr. Mallard is, in fact, dead (lines 6-7).
12.Give one reason why Mrs. Mallard feels free after her husband's death.
ANS:
Responses will vary. Students may give one of the following reasons to explain why Mrs. Mallard feels free after her husband's death:
A. She understands that her future will belong only to her (line 47).
B. She can live for herself instead of for her husband (lines 49-50).
C. Her husband loved her, but he expected her to obey his will (lines 50-52).
13.Do you agree or disagree that Mrs. Mallard would have been happier without her husband? Support your opinion with details from the story.
ANS:
Responses will vary. Students may agree she would have been happier because of her new freedom. Students may use the following details to support their opinions:
A. Mrs. Mallard repeats the word free (line 38), and her excitement at this word warms and relaxes her (lines 40-41).
B. Mrs. Mallard recalls the pressure of her husband's will, which is now gone (lines 50-52). She will be glad to live without having to do as he says.
C. Mrs. Mallard realizes that asserting her own will is better than love (lines 56-57).
Students may disagree, saying she will not be happier without her husband. Students may use the following details to support their opinions:
A. Mrs. Mallard's grief at her husband's death is very real (lines 10-11).
B. Mrs. Mallard acknowledges her husband's kindness, tenderness, and love
for her (lines 44-45). She may soon realize the absence of his affection.
C. Mrs. Mallard acknowledges that she did sometimes love her husband (line 55), indicating that she will probably miss him in the future.
14. The story describes Mrs. Mallard's new freedom as "this possession of self-assertion." How does the way the other characters treat her support the idea that Mrs. Mallard could not assert herself? Support your response with details from the story.
ANS:
Responses will vary. Students may say that Richards, Josephine, and Mr. Mallard treat Mrs. Mallard as weak and fragile. Mrs. Mallard experiences joy when she realizes that she is freed from her role as a submissive wife, indicating that she never asserted herself before her husband's death. Students may use the following details to support their responses:
A. Josephine tells her sister about Mr. Mallard's death in "broken sentences" and "veiled hints" (lines 3-4), indicating Mrs. Mallard's fragility in her role as one who does not assert herself or insist on being spoken to as an adult.
B. Richards rushes to the home so that Mrs. Mallard will hear of her husband's death from someone who will be careful and gentle with her (line 8) because of her heart condition. She is being treated like a child that who deal with the real world, indicating that she has never before asserted herself.
C. Mrs. Mallard thinks of her husband's "kind, tender hands" and love for her, but also of his will, to which she had always to bend (lines 44-45 and 50-52). She never asserted herself with him, and although he made her do as he wished, she thinks of him with tenderness.
D. Josephine begs Mrs. Mallard to open the door and tells her that she will make herself ill (lines 60-61). Again, Josephine treats her sister as she would a child, indicating that Mrs. Mallard has never asserted herself with her sister.
E. Richards tries to hide the sight of her husband from Mrs. Mallard, thinking that she loves Mr. Mallard enough to be shocked by his appearance (lines 75-76). Again, Richards is treating Mrs. Mallard gently and assumes that she cannot handle the truth. Richards's treatment shows that Mrs. Mallard has never told him to treat her like an adult or to avoid treating her like an invalid.
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15.What do the details beyond Mrs. Mallard's window help you predict about what she believes her future holds? Use two details from the story to support your response.
ANS:
Responses will vary. Students should recognize that what Mrs. Mallard sees and hears outside her window are signs of spring and of new life. These sights and sounds foreshadow a new life for her. Students may use the following details to support their responses:
A. The treetops quiver with "the new spring life" (lines 16-17).
B. The hint of rain in the air is "delicious" and a "breath," implying both life and relief (line 17).
C. A peddler cries out his wares in the square below (lines 17-18), indicating that life goes on even in the face of death.
D. The sound of someone's singing far away (lines 18-19) is another indication of life and happiness.
E. Mrs. Mallard hears the sound of many sparrows in the eaves, signifying new life (lines 19-20).
F. Bits of blue sky show through the clouds, suggesting an improvement in Mrs. Mallard's situation (line 21).
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