The Possibility of Evil

Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.

Reading Check

1. How does the narrator characterize the setting of Miss Adela Strangeworth’s town at the beginning of the story?

2. What is Miss Strangeworth’s opinion of the Crane family when she runs into Helen in the street?

3. What does Miss Strangeworth do when she makes an error in her letters, and why?

4. Why does Miss Strangeworth write her letters?

5. How does Miss Strangeworth deliver her letters?

Multiple Choice

1. What is Miss Strangeworth’s family history in the town?

A) Miss Strangeworth comes from new money.

B) Miss Strangeworth’s great-grandfather was the first mayor of the town.

C) Miss Strangeworth’s mother opened a factory that employed most of the townspeople.

D) Miss Strangeworth’s grandfather built the first house on Pleasant Street.

2. During her visit to the town center, what does Miss Strangeworth notice about the townspeople she interacts with?

A) The townspeople seem unusually energetic.

B) The townspeople have been waiting to talk to her.

C) The townspeople seem ill or tired.

D) The townspeople ignore her.

3. What is ironic about the different uses of the stationary?