Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour"

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is a powerful illustration of the a. cruel irony of fate. b. tragedy of thwarted love. c. strong bond sisters have. d. effects of heart disease.

a. cruel irony of fate.

After the initial storm of tears, Mrs. Mallard's response to the news of her husband's death is motivated largely by a wave of a. self-assertion. b. anger. c. self-pity. d. vengeance.

a. self-assertion.

Readers in Kate Chopin's time must have found "The Story of an Hour" particularly shocking because of the contrast between Mrs. Mallard's response to her husband's death and a. the response that society would consider appropriate. b. the love that Mr. Mallard feels for his wife. c. her sister Josephine's reaction. d. her professions of affection for her husband.

a. the response that society would consider appropriate.

Under which type of irony would you classify Josephine's fear that her sister will "make herself ill" by grieving alone in her room? a. situational b. dramatic c. verbal d. thematic

b. dramatic

By the end of "The Story of an Hour", Mrs. Mallard's reflection that she had been recently wished for a short life becomes especially ironic to readers because a. the reader knows that she still wants her life to be short. b. she ends up having a short life. c. the reader sees her as a less worthy person than her husband. d. she has too much intensity of feeling to wish for a short life.

b. she ends up having a short life.

How does Mrs. Mallard "hear the story" of her husband's death? a. with a paralyzed inability to accept its meaning b. with sudden, wild weeping c. with a shriek of joy and relief d. with a sigh and a dull stare in her eyes

b. with sudden, wild weeping

What is the significance of the title "The Story of an Hour"? a. A character learns that her heart disease is fatal in a single hour. b. A character loses her husband in a single hour. c. A character gains her freedom and loses her life in a single hour. d. A character dies from a severe emotional reaction in a single hour.

c. A character gains her freedom and loses her life in a single hour.

Why does Mrs. Mallard refuse her sister Josephine's offer to keep her company? a. Mrs. Mallard does not want to upset her sister. b. Mrs. Mallard prefers not to display emotion to others. c. Mrs. Mallard needs privacy to confront her true feelings. d. Mrs. Mallard wants Josephine to keep Richard company.

c. Mrs. Mallard needs privacy to confront her true feelings.

What does the following line from "The Story of an Hour" suggest about Mrs. Mallard's feelings for her husband? And yet she had loved him-sometimes. a. She clearly dislikes him. b. She is angry at him. c. She has conflicted feelings about him. d. She feels sorry for him.

c. She has conflicted feelings about him.

What is the meaning of the following passage from the story? A kind intention of a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination. a. Mrs. Mallard finally realized that he husband had been cruel to her when she thought he was being kind. b. She hadn't known until now whether her husband's intention had been cruel or kind. c. She now understands that imposing your own will on someone is a crime, no matter whether the intention is cruel or kind. d. She suddenly understands that her self-assertion is a crime, whether her intention was cruel or kind.

c. She now understands that imposing your own will on someone is a crime, no matter whether the intention is cruel or kind.

When Mrs. Mallard reflects that "It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long," she becomes aware of the irony that she a. had worried about a life that she now knows will be short. b. has not been punished for such unacceptable thoughts. c. now desires something she had previously feared. d. had not valued her husband properly until she lost him.

c. now desires something she had previously feared.

Which of the following excerpts from the "The Story of an Hour" best illustrates the author's use of irony? a. "She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms." b. "She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength." c. "And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter!" d. "'Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door-you will make yourself ill.'"

d. "'Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door-you will make yourself ill.

What philosophical argument does Chopin make in "The Story of an Hour"? a. Rejoicing at someone's death is wrong. b. Confirming reports of tragic events is necessary. c. Distinguishing between illusion and reality is difficult. d. An individual's right to self-expression is important.

d. An individual's right to self-expression is important.