Chapter VI Quiz — Ethan Frome

How does Ethan behave at breakfast to hide his happiness from Jotham Powell?

• He leaves the table early and goes to the barn
• He adopts an air of exaggerated indifference, lounging and tossing scraps to the cat
• He talks constantly about the weather and work to fill the silence
• He is openly cheerful and helps Mattie clear the dishes

Why does Ethan propose loading the sledge at the wood-lot before going to Starkfield?

• The horses need time to rest before the long haul
• He wants to avoid passing the church where the dance was held
• It allows him to send Jotham to fetch Zeena while he goes to the village for glue
• Jotham insists on this order of operations

One of the grey horses slips on ice and cuts its knee on the way to the wood-lot.

What does Ethan want to say to Mattie when they are briefly alone in the kitchen?

• "I’m going to leave Zeena."
• "We shall never be alone again like this."
• "Don’t worry about the dish; she’ll never notice."
• "Come away with me to the West."

Ethan finds the glue at Michael Eady’s store after a short wait.

In the sentence "after giving them the most perfunctory ministrations," what does "perfunctory" mean?

• Thorough and careful
• Carried out with minimal effort or care
• Unexpectedly generous
• Performed with great expertise

What does the widow Homan say to Ethan as he leaves with the glue?

• "Tell Zeena I hope she’s feeling better."
• "That’ll be twenty-five cents, please."
• "I hope Zeena ain’t broken anything she sets store by."
• "You’d better hurry before the roads get worse."

Mattie tells Ethan that Zeena has returned by clutching his sleeve and whispering.

Why is Jotham Powell’s refusal to stay for supper considered ominous?

• Jotham has never eaten at the Frome house before
• Jotham is usually reluctant to turn down a free meal, suggesting something troubling happened with Zeena
• Jotham announces that he is quitting his job
• Jotham says Zeena told him not to stay

What does "stoicism" mean when the narrator says Ethan wonders what "nerved Jotham to such stoicism"?

• Extreme anger kept carefully hidden
• The endurance of hardship without complaint or display of emotion
• A philosophical belief in predestination
• Stubborn refusal based on moral principle

How does the final scene of Chapter VI mirror the end of Chapter V?

• Both chapters end with Ethan leaving the house in anger
• Both end with the same domestic details—lamp, fire, cat, and Mattie’s identical words—but Zeena’s return drains the warmth
• Both chapters end with Zeena confronting Ethan about his feelings
• Both end with a snowstorm trapping Ethan in the barn

Ethan successfully repairs the pickle dish before Zeena notices it is broken.

What literary device does Wharton use when describing the sleet, icy roads, and rain throughout Chapter VI?

• Allegory
• Pathetic fallacy
• Dramatic monologue
• Apostrophe

Zeena speaks to Mattie when she arrives home and explains what the doctor told her.