"The Open Window" Sample Response to Narrative Text

Time: 30 minutes
Read the following short story:
http://www.classicreader.com/book/1673/1/

Responding to Narrative Text – “The Open Window”

Write the letter of your choice on the line provided.  You will not receive credit for your answer unless you follow this direction.  The story can be found on pages 246-250.

_________1.  What, according to the text, does Frampton know about Mrs. Sappleton prior to meeting her?

A.  He knows she is crazy

B.  He knows she has a niece named Vera

C.  He knows only her name and address

D.  He knows that she can help him calm his nerves

_________2.  "Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much toward helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing."

Based on this passage, Mr. Framton is in this unfamiliar place in order to

A. Meet long-lost friends

B. Sell window treatments

C. Overcome his fear of strangers

D. Help him to calm his nerves

_________3.  "Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction, came into the nice division." 

In this passage, the nice division most likely means:

A.     Wealthy home development

B.     Room divider

C.     Pleasant person

D.     Easy mathematical equation

_________4.    “An indefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.”

 In the sentence, the word masculine means

A. womanly

B. manly

C. toughness

 D. feminine

_________5.  Which sentence summarizes the main idea of Vera's story?

A. A family hunting dog ran away many years ago.

B. Three men watched her Uncle jump from the open window.

C. Three men and a dog disappeared in the bog three years ago.

D. Mrs. Sappleton is out on a hunting trip.

_________6.  The role of the antagonist is played by which character?

A. Vera

B. Framton Nuttel

C. Bertie

D. Mrs. Sappleton

_________7.  According to Mrs. Sappleton, why do the snipe-hunters need to come and go through the open window (patio type door)?

A. They use the window because it is closer to the bog.

B. They have a superstition about using doors.

C. They are trying to avoid tracking mud on the carpets.

D. They don’t want to worry Mrs. Sappleton and Vera.

_________8.  Which of the following statements best characterize Mr. Framton and why he was victimized?

A. "The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest."

B. "[I know only Mrs. Sappleton's] name and address"

C. "She has been very interesting."

D. "On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement."

_________9.  In this passage, “The child was staring through the window with dazed horror in her eyes”  the reader is to infer which of the following statements about Vera?

A.  Vera feels horribly for her Aunt Sappleton.

B.  Vera is deathly scared of dogs.

C.  Vera is a sneaky prankster.

D.  Vera can’t believe that the men are really there.

_________10. “A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.” In this sentence, the word imminent means

A. forthcoming

B. medical

C. ending

D. parting

_________11.  Which of the following scene is the best example of resolution in the story?

A.  ‘“Here we are my dear’, said the bearer of the mackintosh coming through the open window.”

B.  ‘“I expect is was the spaniel’, said the niece calmly; ‘he told me that he had a horror of dogs.”

C.  “In a chill shock of nameless fear Frampton swung round in his seat and looked in the same direction.”

D. “She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds...”

_________12.  Which of the following BEST describes Framton’s feelings at the end of the story?

A. calm and happy

B. panicky and scared

C. delighted by the country

D. tranquil and serene    

_________13. The setting of the story is

A. a dreadful wet summer

B. nice October afternoon

C. house in a city

D. windy, cold day in January

_________14. After talking with Vera, the reader is likely to infer that Framton Nuttel would most likely say that Mrs. Sappleton lives a life of

A. unsound mind.

B. magnificence

C. poverty

D. loneliness

Open Ended Questions : Respond to the open-ended question on the lines provided.  Use RATE.

15.       Saki used many aspects of characterization to build Vera’s character.  

○     What are three characteristics that Vera portrays?

○     Describe a time when trickery played a role in hurting someone else (hint: text-to-text or text-to-self). 

Use information from the story to support your response.  Use insight to extend.