(The questions are about Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour")
1. Part A
Answer: D
Explanation: Escaping the pressure of marriage and dependency is the central theme here; we are presented with this revelation somewhat unexpectedly, during the climax of Mrs. Mallard's grief in digesting the new of her husband's death. Although a Feminist element is obviously present, equality of men and women (option A) is not the author's concern here. Option B, while true in itself, misses the central theme completely. Option C goes completely against the message: she would not have needed her husband's death to feel free if that was the case.
2. Part B
Answer: C
Explanation: This is the highest point in the narrative: exploding through the storm of grief over her husband's untimely death comes a burst of imagination about the freedom she would enjoy in the following years.
3. Part A:
Answer: D
Explanation: The parting clouds represent her feeling of being oppressed by the will of her husband for years, leaving only the freedom represented by a boundless blue sky.
4. Part B:
Answer: C
Explanation: In this phrase, we see how the author represents the feeling of freedom as something creeping out of the sky, reaching her through the sensory impressions of the spring.