The Hidden Staircase, Chapter XVIII. Inside the Other House quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where does Nancy hide while the servant shines a light into the cellar?

   • Behind a big barrel of apples near the furnace
   • Under the cellar stairs, among some old boxes
   • Correct answer: In a small storeroom with a door she pulls shut
   • Inside an empty coal bin by the far wall

   Her hand finds a doorknob, and she slips into a small storeroom and pulls the door almost shut.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What slimy thing does Nancy touch in the dark cellar?

   • A dead fish left in a bucket of water
   • A wet coat hanging from a nail by the window
   • A frog sitting on the bottom step of the stairs
   • Correct answer: An old piece of rubber hose lying in the dark

   She recoils as if it were a snake, but it is only an old piece of rubber hose.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Nancy find when she searches the cellar walls for a tunnel?

   • Correct answer: Solid stone, with no tunnel opening at all
   • A loose brick with a key hidden behind it
   • Fresh footprints leading into one corner
   • A trapdoor hidden under a pile of old sacks

   There is plainly no tunnel opening out of the basement; the walls seem to be solid stone.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Nancy finally creep up the stairs from the cellar?

   • She smells smoke coming from the kitchen stove
   • Correct answer: She is shivering with cold in the damp cellar
   • She hears Gombet's car coming back up the road
   • The servant calls down that supper is ready

   Her slicker gives little protection from the chill, and discomfort makes her bold.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does the narrator say about the cough Nancy hears?

   • It was only the wind in the old chimney
   • It came from one of the parrots in the bird room
   • Correct answer: Nancy is within twenty feet of her father's room
   • It came from the servant, who had a bad cold

   The narrator says that, had she known it, she stood within twenty feet of the room where her father was held.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What makes Nancy sure Gombet has been getting into The Mansion?

   • She reads a diary where Gombet wrote about it
   • Correct answer: She finds dozens of canaries like the two in Floretta's room
   • She sees fresh mud from the sisters' garden on the stairs
   • She finds a map of The Mansion pinned to the wall

   The canaries in gilded cages make her sure the two in Floretta's room came from Gombet's house.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What brings the servant up the stairs at the end of the chapter?

   • Correct answer: The parrot in a large cage squawks loudly
   • Nancy drops her pistol on the bare floor
   • A canary escapes from its cage and flies out
   • Nancy trips over a stuffed eagle in the dark

   The parrot screams, and Nancy hears a heavy step on the stairs.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does 'diligently' mean in: 'she searched diligently for a secret opening or a trapdoor'?

   • Quickly and carelessly
   • Angrily, while kicking
   • Sadly, without hope
   • Correct answer: Carefully and steadily

   Nancy takes her time and searches the walls thoroughly.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does 'gruesome' mean in: 'It was a gruesome sight.'?

   • Pretty and colorful
   • Funny and silly
   • Correct answer: Horrible and frightening
   • Small and hard to see

   Rows of stuffed birds with glassy eyes staring at her are a horrible sight to Nancy.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these events happen in Chapter 18?

    • Nancy watches the servant ironing through a keyhole.

      Happened

    • Nancy finds a letter from her father in the upstairs hall.

      Didn't happen

    • Nancy finds a room full of stuffed birds.

      Happened

    • Nancy opens the cages and sets the canaries free.

      Didn't happen

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