The Hidden Staircase, Chapter I. A Rude Visitor quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why is Nancy alone in the big house that afternoon?

   • Her friends left early after a long party at the house
   • She stayed home sick from a trip her father took
   • Correct answer: Her father is on a law case and Hannah has the day off
   • Her father has gone fishing and Hannah went to the market

   Carson Drew was called out of the city on a law case, and Hannah Gruen, the housekeeper, had taken her day off.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why does the old-fashioned mantel clock give Nancy pleasant memories?

   • She won it in a contest at school the spring before
   • It belonged to her family for a hundred years or more
   • Her father bought it for her as a birthday surprise
   • Correct answer: It was her reward for solving a baffling mystery

   The clock was given to Nancy as a reward for her service in solving a baffling mystery.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Nathan Gombet say Carson Drew did to him?

   • Correct answer: Talked him into selling river land for far too little
   • Borrowed money from him and then refused to pay it back
   • Took his house away to settle a long-unpaid bill
   • Sent him to jail for something he did not do at all

   Gombet claims Carson Drew induced him to sell a piece of his river property at a ridiculously low figure. Nancy does not believe it.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Gombet demand before he will leave?

   • A promise that Carson Drew will visit him that night
   • Correct answer: The deed back, or else his full price for the land
   • The name of the hotel where Carson Drew is staying
   • An apology from Nancy for the rude way she spoke

   He says, "I want the deed back or my price," and keeps asking for the papers he believes are in the house.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Nancy say that she wishes she had kept to herself?

   • Correct answer: That she is all alone in the house that afternoon
   • That Hannah will be back home within the hour
   • That she is afraid of him and wants to run away
   • That her father keeps his papers in his desk drawer

   Nancy cries, "I’m alone in the house," and the instant she says it, she could have bitten her tongue.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Why does Gombet head for the study?

   • He thinks Carson Drew is hiding in there from him
   • He hears someone moving around behind its door
   • He wants to use the telephone to call his lawyer
   • Correct answer: He can see Carson Drew's desk and thinks the papers are there

   From where he stood he could see Carson Drew's desk, and when Nancy warns him not to go in, he is sure the papers are there.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Nancy do when Gombet starts pawing through the desk drawer?

   • She locks him inside the study and goes for a neighbor
   • She runs out to the street to look for help
   • Correct answer: She pulls him away and threatens to call the police
   • She hands him a stack of old letters to get rid of him

   Nancy grabs his coat, pulls him away from the desk, and tells him to get out or she will call the police.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does 'brusque' mean in: 'Nancy did not like the brusque way Nathan Gombet had of asking questions'?

   • Slow, careful and patient
   • Correct answer: Short, blunt and rude
   • Cheerful and full of jokes
   • Soft and very hard to hear

   Gombet fires off short, rude questions like "Where is he?" without any politeness, which is what brusque means.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does 'divulged' mean in: 'The instant she had divulged the information, she could have bitten her tongue.'?

   • Shouted something in a loud voice
   • Correct answer: Told something that should have stayed secret
   • Forgotten something important
   • Written something down on paper

   Nancy gave away the fact that she was alone, so she divulged information she wished she had kept secret.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these events happen in Chapter 1?

    • Nathan Gombet steps into the house without waiting to be invited.

      Happened

    • Nancy finds the deed and hands it to Gombet so he will leave.

      Didn't happen

    • Nancy grabs Gombet's coat and pulls him away from the desk.

      Happened

    • Hannah Gruen comes home early and chases Gombet out of the house.

      Didn't happen

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