Part 3: Reading Questions
Directions: Answer each question in complete sentences. Cite textual evidence to support your answer.
1. What does Miss Strangeworth value?
○ Answer:
2. What is implied by the sentence “Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts, her
letters all dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion” (paragraph 40)?
○ Answer:
3. What does Miss Strangeworth realize in the final paragraph?
○ Answer:
4. Why is it ironic that Miss Strangeworth lives on Pleasant Street?
written like a 9th grader
1. Miss Strangeworth values her family name and the reputation of her family in the town. She also values her role as a respected member of the community. This is shown when she writes letters criticizing and warning the people in her town in order to maintain order and propriety.
2. The sentence implies that Miss Strangeworth is more interested in spreading rumors and suspicions than dealing with actual facts. She enjoys causing doubt and uncertainty among the people in her town by spreading malicious gossip and innuendo in her letters.
3. In the final paragraph, Miss Strangeworth realizes that her reputation and standing in the town have been tarnished by the revelation of her true nature. She recognizes that her actions have led to the destruction of her relationships with her neighbors and she feels guilty for the pain and suffering she has caused.
4. It is ironic that Miss Strangeworth lives on Pleasant Street because she is the source of much gossip and unpleasantness in the town. Despite living on a street with a positive and pleasant name, Miss Strangeworth's actions and behavior are anything but pleasant, causing turmoil and distress among her neighbors. This contrast between her outwardly peaceful surroundings and her malicious actions adds to the irony of her character.