Question

the greenbrier ghost
zona heaster married edward shue in 1896. zonas mother disliked edward from the start.
she didnt know yet that he had been married twice before. shues first wife divorced him.
his second wife died when he \accidentally\ dropped a brick on her head while fixing the
roof. in 1897, a boy sent to zonas home found her dead at the bottom of the stairs. the
doctor arrived an hour later to find that mr. shue had taken his wifes body upstairs and
dressed her in a gown with a high neck. since females usually prepared dead bodies to be
burned, this was unusual behavior. after zonas funeral, her mother claimed that zonas ghost
visited her to explain how edward had broken her neck. zonas body was exhumed
and examined closely. she had finger bruises on her neck exactly the way the ghost had
described. edward shue was put on trial and convicted of murder. he died in prison about
three years into his sentence. today, there is a historical marker in the cemetery where zona
was buried. it states that the shue trial is the only known case in which testimony from a
ghost helped convict a murderer.

1. readers can infer that the author of

the text believes --
a) edward shue is not guilty
b) ghosts do not exist
c) edward shue mostly likely killed his
second wife on purpose
d) zona probably tripped and fell down
the stairs in her home

1. context clues help the reader know

that the word exhumed as it is used in
the text means --
a) prepared for burial
b) damaged beyond repair
c) convicted and sentenced
d) removed a dead body from the ground
after burial

1. which of the following statements is not

evidence from the text that edward shue was
guilty of murder?
a) he confessed to the crime.
b) his second wife died for an odd reason.
c) he quickly prepared zonas body to be
buried before others could do it.
d) zonas exhumed body had finger bruises
on her broken neck.

1. what conclusion can be drawn about

the jurors who found edward guilty?
a) they did not believe zonas mother.
b) they sentenced edward to death.
c) they thought zonas mother was crazy.
d) they believed the ghost story.

Explanation:

1)

• Option A: The text states that Edward Shue was convicted of murder, so the author doesn't believe he is not guilty.
• Option B: The text describes a ghost - related event that led to a conviction, so it's not suggesting ghosts don't exist.
• Option C: The first wife's “accidental” death (brick on head) and then Zona's death with signs like him quickly preparing the body (unusual as females usually did it) imply he likely killed on purpose.
• Option D: The text implies foul play (ghost's description of broken neck, finger bruises) rather than a fall.

• The context is that Zona's body was buried and then her mother claimed the ghost's story. So, “exhumed” must mean taking the body out of the ground after burial.
• Option A: “Prepared for burial” is the opposite of what happened (it was already buried).
• Option B: There's no mention of damage beyond repair in the context of the word.
• Option C: “Convicted and sentenced” has no relation to the word's meaning in this context.

• Option A: The text never mentions him confessing.
• Option B: His second wife's odd death (brick on head) is a red - flag.
• Option C: His unusual behavior of quickly preparing the body (usually females did it) is suspicious.
• Option D: The exhumed body having finger bruises as the ghost described is evidence.

Answer:

C. Edward Shue mostly likely killed his second wife on purpose

2)