The Fall of the House of Usher Test | Final Test - Hard

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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say Usher must not do?

2. How does the narrator describe the lapse into everyday life in his description upon spying the House of Usher?

3. What is the source of the lighting in the painting the narrator describes?

4. What does the narrator see when he looks in Usher's eyes?

5. About what does the narrator say Usher had always been excessive and habitual?

Short Essay Questions

1. What announcement does Roderick abruptly make one evening?

2. What does the narrator say about African Satyrs and Aepipans?

3. Why is the narrator on his way to the House of Usher?

4. What does the narrator do before actually going inside the House of Usher?

5. What does the narrator say about Roderick's face?

6. What had Roderick written to the narrator to get the narrator to come visit?

7. How does the narrator react upon first seeing Roderick?

8. What does the narrator discover when he gets up and bends his ear close to Roderick's mouth?

9. What does the narrator regularly observe Roderick doing after Madeline's death?

10. Who does the narrator meet on the stairs and what is the narrator's impression of the person?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Poe wrote in a different era and culture then the present. Some of the language will seem archaic to modern readers.

Do you think a story or story written so long ago is still relevant to today’s readers? What might make The Fall of the House of Usher a timeless story? Use examples from The Fall of the House of Usher to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Characters are an integral and important part of almost all stories.

Compare/contrast the characters of Roderick and Lady Madeline. How are they similar? How are they different? Is there a flaw in each of their personalities? Be specific and give examples. Compare/contrast the characters of Roderick and the narrator. How do they seem different? Which do you like more? Why? Which one seems more of a well-rounded character?

Essay Topic 3

Define plot and include the definitions of the most important elements of a plot. Do all stories have a plot? Why or why not? Write a brief synopsis of the plot of The Fall of the House of Usher, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot? Give a brief synopsis of any important sub-plots.

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