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- 1. Multiple Choice
Situational irony is when a character or the reader expects one thing, but something very different happens or is true. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that a character does not know.
Which two are examples of irony in the story?
The narrator’s attempts to hide the murder actually result in him giving himself up to the police.
The narrator chooses to commit the murder in the middle of the night, when the old man is asleep.
The more the narrator insists that he is not mad, the more readers can detect evidence of his madness.
The narrator admits that he liked, even loved, the old man, and that he only objected to his pale, filmy eye.
The neighbor hears the old man shriek and summons the police out of concern for his safety.
- 2. Multiple Choice
Foreshadowing occurs when a writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story, and it can help create suspense.
How does the narrator’s mention of his acute hearing in paragraph 1 foreshadow the old man’s death?
It foreshadows the point when the old man’s heartbeat drives the narrator to kill him.
It foreshadows his ability to hear the police coming when they respond to the old man’s murder.
It foreshadows his decision to murder the old man because he was tired of listening to him.
It foreshadows the moment when the old man hears the narrator at the door and wakes up.
- 3. Multiple Choice
In paragraph 2, the word conceived means to —
become pregnant with a child
have an opinion on an issue
form a plan in the mind
imagine something abstract
- 4. Multiple Choice
In paragraph 4, the narrator describes visiting the old man every night at midnight. Why is he unable to commit the murder for the first seven nights?
The old man is a restless sleeper, so the narrator cannot sneak in.
The narrator does not have enough light from the lantern to commit the murder.
He is trying to be kind by giving the old man a few more days to live.
He cannot see the old man’s eye, which is what he feels he needs to kill.
- 5. Multiple Choice
Which choice best expresses the main idea of paragraph 8?
The old man stirs and cries out when he hears the narrator at the door and scares the narrator away.
The narrator can relate to the old man’s fear, but that only makes the narrator feel more powerful.
The narrator chooses to wake the old man so that he can face him directly for the murder.
The narrator slips into the room when the old man wakes, hoping that the old man will not see him.
- 6. Multiple Choice
In paragraphs 14–15, the narrator describes his cleanup and first encounter with the police with a tone of —
anxiety
melancholy
confidence
indifference
- 7. Multiple Choice
Which word from paragraph 18 is closest to meaning contempt?
agony
derision
swore
hypocritical
- 8. Multiple Choice
Poe’s extensive use of dashes in the last two paragraphs is effective because it —
highlights the narrator’s increased sense of nervousness
slows down the story so that it is easier to understand
suggests that the police know more than they are letting on
allows the readers to understand the narrator’s motives
- 9. Multiple Choice
The use of a first-person narrator in the story —
allows readers to understand each character’s point of view
helps to explain how the characters are related to each other
gives readers insight into the narrator’s mental instability
illustrates how the old man treats the narrator every day
- 10. Multiple Choice
Choose the two lines from the story that best support the following idea:
The narrator cannot escape his guilty conscience.
I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of men—but the noise steadily increased.
Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me.
. . . . I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work. . . . .
. . . . I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness— until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.
- 11. Multiple Choice
Choose the two lines from the story that best support the following idea:
The murder does not have a traditional motive.
I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of men—but the noise steadily increased.
Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me.
. . . . I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work. . . . .
. . . . I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness— until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.
- 12. Multiple Choice
Which statement best describes a major theme of the story?
Honesty can relieve you of your guilt and help you feel better.
Fear can shape how we see things and how we act.
Our sanity is determined by how we react to different situations.
The truth is a matter of personal perception and beliefs.
- 13. Multiple Choice
Which of the following quotes provides the best support for the following theme/main idea:
Fear can shape how we see things and how we act.
“Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees — very gradually — I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.” (Paragraph 2)
“Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him, had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim.” (Paragraph 7)
“As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, — for what had I now to fear?” (Paragraph 14)
“I gasped for breath — and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly — more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased.” (Paragraph 17)
- 14. Multiple Choice
In the story, what causes the conflict between the narrator and the old man?
The narrator and the old man resent having to live together because of the narrator’s disease, and so the narrator decides to murder the old man.
The narrator is driven mad by the sound of a heart beating beneath the floorboards, and this causes him to kill the old man.
The narrator watches the old man sleep, and when the terrified old man discovers this, the narrator kills him to keep his madness hidden.
The narrator is terrified of the old man’s blue eye and overwhelmed by the sound of his heartbeat, so the narrator kills the old man.
- 15. Multiple Choice
Which of the following quotes best illustrates the following conflict:
The narrator is terrified of the old man’s blue eye and overwhelmed by the sound of his heartbeat, so the narrator kills the old man.
“The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.” (Paragraph 1)
“I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him.” (Paragraph 7)
“But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me — the sound would be heard by a neighbor! The old man’s hour had come!” (Paragraph 11)
“‘Villains!’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!’” (Paragraph 18)
- 16. Multiple Choice
Which of the following best describes the significance of the beating heart throughout the story?
It represents the narrator’s own death, like the old man’s, drawing near as he faces punishment for his crime.
It shows there is something supernatural happening to the narrator, for the ghost of the old man is haunting him.
It represents the narrator’s guilt and worsening sanity, for the beating heart serves as a reminder of his crime.
It signifies the narrator’s anxiety about not burying the old man respectfully after killing him.
- 17. Multiple Choice
At the end of the story, why does the narrator tell the officers to “tear up the planks” and therefore unveil the corpse?
because he wants them to stop smiling at him and punish him
because he believes they hear the heartbeat and are mocking him
because he wanted to be caught for the crime all along
because he knew that they would find the evidence eventually
- 18. Multiple Choice
Why does the narrator seat himself and the officers in the room where the body is buried?
He thinks it is the only way to keep the cops from finding the body.
He is boastful of how well he hid the body.
He is worried he will give away the body’s location otherwise.
He is going mad and wants to torture himself with guilt.
- 19. Multiple Choice
Based on the narration in paragraph 8, why does the narrator believe that the old man groaned?
because the old man could hear the narrator at the door
because the old man could not fall asleep again
because the old man sensed deadly company in the room
because the old man could see death approaching him
- 20. Multiple Choice
Which excerpt from the story illustrates the mood of paranoia?
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain.
I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult.
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! - no, no! They heard! They suspected! They knew!
I smiled, -- for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome.
- 21. Multiple Choice
In the line "There came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes hen enveloped in cotton," what does "enveloped in cotton" try to make the reader feel?
alive
trapped
threatened
serious
- 22. Multiple Choice
What tone is represented in the line "You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -- with what caution - with what foresight -- with what dissimulation I went to work"?
focused
furious
grieving
apathetic
- 23. Multiple Choice
Which detail about the narrator's personality ironically makes him appear the most psychotic?
He hears imaginary heartbeats.
He is so careful to hide everything he does.
He kills the old man.
He tries to convince the reader of his sanity.
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