Page 1101 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

b. He is uncertain of the news, but wants to make sure he
is the one who delivers it.

c. He saw the news come into the newspaper office and

confirmed it himself.

d. He has actually seen Brently Mallard’s bloody corpse at

the scene of the accident.

3. What is Louise’s initial reaction to the news of her husband’s

death?

a. numb disbelief

b. wild grief

c. irrepressible joy

d. muted sadness

4. When Louise retreats to her room, she sits in a chair facing an

open window that lets in the sights and sounds of spring. What

is the most likely reason that the author chose to make that

chair face the open window?
a. The open window opens the possibility of suicide, while

the spring season provides an ironic contrast to death.

b. The blue sky suggests that Louise is blue, or unhappy,

at the death of her husband.

c. The open window and sky suggest freedom, while the
spring season suggests new life and rebirth.

d. The author needed to throw in some description so that

the story would have more literary value.