The Turn of the Screw

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. What does the governess believe her first duty is after arriving in Bly?

2. Why did Miles leave his bed to go down to the gardens during the night?

3. Which sight makes the governess change her mind about leaving her post?

4. How does Flora react when the governess insists that Miss Jessel is across the pond?

5. According to Mrs. Grose, where did Flora learn the words that are “beyond everything for a lady?”

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. According to Douglas’s story, what are the conditions under which the young woman becomes governess? Whom is she looking after and what are the terms of her employment?

2. After learning that Miles has been expelled from school, what important information does the governess learn from Mrs. Grose?

3. Describe the unusual and unsettling sights that the governess begins to see at Bly. How does she learn about these sights?

4. What conclusion does the governess come to surrounding the strange circumstances of Bly? What is Mrs. Grose’s suggestion and how does the governess react?

5.