The Landlady Anticipation

Choose the quotes that best display the landlady's eagerness to have another victim.

• “It’s all ready for you, my dear,” she said. She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes.

• “I saw the notice in the window,” he said, holding himself back.

• He pressed the bell—and out she popped! It made him jump.

• “I was on my way to The Bell and Dragon,” Billy told her. “But the notice in your window just happened to catch my eye.”

Which quote from the story shows the reader possible motivation for the landlady's actions?

• “I’m so glad you appeared,” she said, looking earnestly into his face. “I was beginning to get worried.”

• “And what about supper, my dear? Did you manage to get anything to eat before you came here?”

• That’s all right,” Billy answered brightly. “You mustn’t worry about me.” He put his suitcase on the chair and started to open it.

• He guessed that she had probably lost a son in the war, or something like that, and had never gotten over it.

Which statement best foreshadows Billy's fate?

• “That’s good. Because later on, if I happen to forget what you were called, then I could always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr. Mulholland and Mr. . . . Mr. . . .”

• She patted the empty place beside her on the sofa, and she sat there smiling at Billy and waiting for him to come over.

• Billy started sipping his tea. She did the same. For half a minute or so, neither of them spoke. But Billy knew that she was looking at him.

• Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital?

The point at which the reader can predict what will happen to Billy is when the landlady says

• that both Billy and Mulholland were 17

• Mulholland also liked his tea

• that she stuffed her pets

How do the following lines help develop the plot of the story? "Now and again, he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell that seemed to come directly from her person. It was not in the least unpleasant, and it reminded him - well, he wasn’t quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital?"

• It helps develop the exposition of the story.

• It helps develop the rising action of the story and also provides foreshadowing.

• It helps develop the falling action of the story.

• It helps develop the protagonist's character traits.

Mark all clues the author provides to show that something bad is going to happen.

• the air was deadly cold

• the wind was like a blade against Billy's cheek

• The landlady has suspicious behavior.

• The landlady foreshadows that something illegal will happen.

What literary device is used in the phrase 'the wind was like a blade against Billy's cheek'?

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Hyperbole

Which word best describes the landlady's demeanor when she first meets Billy?

• Aggressive

• Welcoming

• Indifferent

• Suspicious

What is the significance of the landlady's statement about forgetting names?

• It shows her forgetfulness.

• It foreshadows Billy's fate.

• It highlights her loneliness.

• It reveals her kindness.

How does the author create suspense in the story?

• By using vivid descriptions of the setting.

• By revealing the landlady's thoughts.

• By keeping the landlady's intentions unclear.

• By focusing on Billy's background.