The Landlady

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. The narrator states, “[Billy] had never stayed in any boarding-houses, and, to be perfectly honest, he was a tiny bit frightened of them” (Paragraph 10). Considering the remainder of the story, what does this statement reveal about Billy?

A) He is an ambitious worker.

B) He is serious and suffers from ennui.

C) He does not trust his instincts.

D) He has childish fears.

2. As he is about to turn away from the property, Billy realizes something peculiar: “BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST. Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass, holding him, compelling him, forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house, and the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell” (Paragraph 11). Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?

A) Metaphor

B) Simile

C) Personification

D) Allusion

3. Which of the following activities is the landlady interested in?

A) Embroidery

B) Golf

C) Baking

D) Taxidermy

4. Which of the following sentiments does Billy feel toward the landlady by the end of the story?

A) Concern

B) Fear

C) Disapproval

D) Awe

5. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn by the end of the story?

A) Billy understands the gravity of his situation.

B) The landlady has retracted her original decision.

C) Billy has not pieced together his probable outcome.

D) The landlady is a relative of his friend.

6. Which of the following reasons most likely explains why Billy had heard of the names of the previous guests?

A) He had read about their murders in the newspaper.

B) He had seen their names in his college yearbook.

C) He had remembered their faces from the films.

D) He had heard about their legacy while in school.

7. Which of the following words describes Billy’s personality?

A) Contentious

B) Inattentive

C) Suspicious

D) Skeptical

8. Which of the following of Billy’s attributes is the landlady preoccupied with?

A) His age

B) His style

C) His accent

D) His work

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is this story’s point of view, and why did the author choose to write it this way? How does the point of view contribute to the meaning of the story?

2. What is the setting of the story? How does the setting link to the larger themes of the story?