Name:       Date:      

Where Is Here?
Joyce Carol Oates
DIRECTIONS: Respond to these questions. Use textual evidence to support your
responses.
1. (a) At what time of day does the stranger arrive at the house? (b) Analyze
In what ways does this add to the air of mystery surrounding the stranger?

     

2. (a) How does the father react to the stranger’s request to look around?
(b) Analyze Cause and Effect What conflict does this decision set up between the
father and mother? (c) Connect At the end of the story, how does the stranger’s
visit continue to affect the family?

     

3. (a) How does the stranger react when he sees the window seat? (b)
Compare and Contrast How does his reaction compare and contrast with his
behavior in the boy’s bedroom? (c) Speculate What do these details suggest about
his relationship to his own father?

     

4. (a) Identify What apparent mistake does the stranger make when he
responds to the mother’s question about whether his family is still living? (b)
Assess Is this a ghost story? Explain your answer.

     

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1