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“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
Selection Test A
Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
1. In “The Story of an Hour,” why is Josephine afraid to tell Mrs. Mallard that her
husband died?
A. Mrs. Mallard has a mental problem.
B. Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition.
C. Mrs. Mallard is expecting a baby.
D. Mrs. Mallard is planning to leave him.
2. In “The Story of an Hour,” what is ironic about the sounds Mrs. Mallard hears
after she has been told of her husband’s death?
A. They are all sounds of ongoing life.
B. They are all sounds from outdoors.
C. They are all sounds from faraway.
D. They are all sad and lonely sounds.
3. In “The Story of an Hour,” the thing that Mrs. Mallard feels approaching her is
described as “creeping” and as something that will “possess her.” Why are these
words ironic?
A. It is her sudden death she feels coming.
B. It is her widowhood she feels coming.
C. It is her mourning she feels coming.
D. It is her freedom she feels coming.
4. Which moment in “The Story of an Hour” is an example of situational irony?
A. when Mrs. Mallard wishes to be alone after hearing the news of her husband’s death
B. when Mrs. Mallard weeps wildly after hearing the news of her husband’s
death
C. when Mrs. Mallard whispers, “free, free, free,” after hearing of her husband’s
death
D. when Mrs. Mallard says, “Go away,” after hearing the news of her husband’s
death
5. When Mrs. Mallard says “free, free, free” in “The Story of an Hour,” what
becomes clear?
A. Mr. Mallard has not been killed in an accident.
B. Mrs. Mallard does not have heart trouble.
C. Mrs. Mallard is happy to be free of her husband.
D. Mrs. Mallard’s sister is worried about her.
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6. What is a major theme of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”?
A. personal freedom
B. open marriage
C. sad widowhood
D. loss of love
7. In “The Story of an Hour,” whom does Mrs. Mallard believe she will live for when
she thinks her husband has been killed?
A. for his memory
B. for her sister
C. for Mr. Richards
D. for herself
8. In “The Story of an Hour,” what is ironic about these words: “She breathed a
quick prayer that life might be long . . . only yesterday she had thought with a
shudder that life might be long”?
A. Yesterday she thought she would die young.
B. She gets her wish after she stops wishing for it.
C. She has never had a prayer answered before.
D. Her wishes changed after her husband died.
9. What happens toward the end of “The Story of an Hour” that changes the entire
story?
A. Richards says he loves Mrs. Mallard.
B. Mr. Mallard walks through the door.
C. Josephine comes down the stairs.
D. Mrs. Mallard goes downstairs.
10. In “The Story of an Hour,” what is ironic about the death of Mrs. Mallard after
she sees her husband still alive?
A. Her heart problem should have been cured by now.
B. Her sister and Mr. Mallard are in love with each other.
C. She had thought she had accepted the fact of his death.
D. She had thought she had her whole life ahead of her.
11. Why might readers interpret the title “The Story of an Hour” as an ironic title?
A. A character gains her freedom and loses her life in a single hour.
B. A character loses her husband in a single hour.
C. A character learns that her heart disease is fatal in a single hour.
D. A character dies from a severe emotional reaction in a single hour.
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Vocabulary and Grammar
12. In which of these sentences is the meaning of the word tumultuously suggested?
A. Mr. Richards checked the news before he went to see Mrs. Mallard.
B. Mrs. Mallard wept wildly in her sister’s arms at the bad news.
C. The sounds from outside spoke of new life to Mrs. Mallard.
D. Mr. Mallard was not killed in the accident after all.
13. Which sentence below contains an appositive?
A. There were patches of blue sky showing.
B. She sat with her head thrown back.
C. It was her sister Josephine who told her.
D. She knew that she would weep again.
Essay
14. The final words of “The Story of an Hour,” are these: “When the doctors came they
said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.” In what way do these words
suggest the opposite of what really happens? Write a brief essay to explain the irony
of the story’s final sentence.
15. Reread this passage from “The Story of an Hour”: “There would be no powerful will
bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they
have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature.” What view of marriage
do you think Chopin is communicating in this story? Write a brief essay to give your
response.
Unit 4 Resources: Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion
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