Question

the wacky winchester house
william winchester helped invent a famous rifle. after he died in 1881, his widow sarah became one of the wealthiest women in the world. however, she believed she was cursed. she moved to california and bought a small farmhouse with eight rooms. sarah spent the rest of her life turning it into a wacky mansion with 160 rooms known as the winchester mystery house. sarah believed that once she stopped building, she would die. so she made sure that construction crews worked all day and night, seven days a week, for 38 years. what is so wacky about the house? there are 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 40 stairways, 47 fireplaces, and six kitchens. one door opens to a long drop into an outside garden, while another leads to an eight-foot fall into a kitchen sink. some of the staircases lead you right into a ceiling. the house is like a maze with trapdoors and many secret passages. a ghost has been seen pushing a wheelbarrow. at other times, footsteps are heard, but no one is there. photos taken by guests show strange shapes in the windows. the winchester house is considered one of the most haunted places in america.

1. what is one wacky detail about the winchester house mentioned in the text?

a) some staircases lead to ceilings.
b) construction crews are still there building today.
c) the home has no kitchens.
d) sarahs ghost has been seen inside the house.

1. cursed means ---

a) used inappropriate language
b) doomed
c) fortunate
d) blessed with material goods

1. the text compares the inside of the winchester house to a ---

a) farmhouse
b) mansion
c) mystery
d) maze

1. sarah winchester kept construction crews working every day for 38 years because ---

a) she had plenty of money to spend
b) she thought it kept her alive
c) she liked noise
d) her husband wanted her to keep building after he died

Explanation:

For question 1: The text mentions "Some of the staircases lead you right into a ceiling" which matches option A.
For question 2: "Cursed" means doomed as in the context of being under a bad spell.
For question 3: The text says "The house is like a maze" so option D.
For question 4: The text states "Sarah believed that once she stopped building, she would die" so she thought building kept her alive (option B).

Answer:

1. A. Some staircases lead to ceilings.
2. B. doomed.
3. D. maze.
4. B. she thought it kept her alive.