Study Sync Short Story Questions
Please write your answers in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper! Please make sure to answer all the parts of each question.
“The Open Window” by Saki
Think Questions
1. Based on the text, what can you infer about FramtonNuttel’s illness? What impression does his illness make on those around him?
2. How are Framton’s “nerves” described throughout the “The Open Window”? What causes his nerves to get better or worse? Use examples from the text to support your answer.
3. The story ends with the line “Romance at short notice was her speciality.” Based on context, what does “romance at short notice” mean? Give at least two examples of “romance at short notice” from the story.
4. Use context to determine the meaning of the wordbogas it is used in “The Open Window.” Write your definition ofboghere and explain how you figured it out.
5. Remembering that the Latin prefix“co”means “together,” use your knowledge of the prefix and the context clues in the passage to determine the meaning ofcoincidence.Write your definition ofcoincidencehere and explain how you arrived at it.
Write Questions
1. What is Vera’s motivation to lie and how is she rewarded for her lies? What skills make her an effective liar? Please use specific examples (at least 1 quotation) from the text in your answer.
2. Explain whether or not “The Open Window” is a traditional ghost story. Use specific examples (at least 1 quotation) from the text to support your opinion.
3. Dramatic irony occurs when a reader knows more about the characters and their intentions than the characters know about each other. When does dramatic irony occur in “The Open Window”? How does dramatic irony create humor and conflict in the story? Use specific examples (at least 1 quotation) to support your ideas.
Study Sync Short Story Questions
Please write your answers in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper! Please make sure to answer all the parts of each question.
“Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
Think Questions
1. At the beginning of the 8th paragraph, Mrs. Mallard senses “something coming to her.” What is it? What effect physically does it have on her?
2. In paragraphs 4 through 8, how do the details about the natural setting outside of Mrs. Mallard’s room relate to her emotional state?
3. At the end of the story, why would the doctors think that Mrs. Mallard died of “joy that kills”? Do you think their diagnosis is accurate? Why or why not?
4. The wordabandonmenthas multiple meanings. Which meaning do you think is intended by the sentence in which the word appears?
5. Locate the wordimploringin the text. Which context clues in the surrounding text help you arrive at a possible definition for the word? Which nearby word might be a synonym of the base verbimplore? If you replaceimploringwith that synonym, would it change the meaning of the sentence?
Write Questions
1. Relationships between people are, by the complicated nature of people, complicated. In looking carefully at the excerpt, how would you characterize the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Mallard? What might explain the final phrase, “of joy that kills?”
2. At the end of the story, Chopin writes, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.” Explain what you think really killed Mrs. Mallard. Be sure to use examples from the text (at least 1 quotation) to support your argument.
3. "The Story of an Hour" is about a lifetime of quiet struggle—but its narrative, as the title suggests, takes place over the course of a mere hour. Why do you think Chopin chose to tell the story this way? Explain the importance and impact of form as it is used in "The Story of an Hour." Be sure to cite examples (at least 1 quotation) in your response.