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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After Edmund's room is ransacked, what does Edmund tell Dupin about his stepfather, Mr. Rachett?
(a) He stole his mother's money and abandoned her.
(b) He was lost at sea.
(c) He is a danger to Edmund and his sister.
(d) He is missing.

2. What is on the scrap of paper Edmund finds in Mrs. Whitman's house?
(a) It is a message to Dupin.
(b) It is a message to Mrs. Whitman.
(c) It is a message from Edmund's sister.
(d) It is unreadable.

3. What type of book does Edmund's sister read?
(a) Fairy tales.
(b) Mysteries.
(c) Songs.
(d) Nursery rhymes.

4. As Dupin leaves the bank, what work by Poe does Peterson tell Dupin that he likes?
(a) The Raven.
(b) The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
(c) The Gold Bug.
(d) The Metamorphosis.

5. How does Edmund get home with the food for himself and his sister?
(a) By bus.
(b) By bicycle.
(c) He walks.
(d) He runs.

Short Answer Questions

1. The first time Edmund and Dupin go to the saloon together, what do they learn?

2. Where does the story take place?

3. What is the children's room like?

4. When Edmund and Mrs. Whitman first meet, where does Mrs. Whitman tell Edmund to have Dupin meet her?

5. At the bank, who is the author of the urgent message Mr. Poley hands Peterson?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Dupin is so obsessed with death?

2. Why do you think Poe chooses to go by the name of his fictional detective?

3. Why do you think the author chose not to reveal Sis's true name?

4. Why do you think the author sets up the prologue so that all of Edmund's female family members are missing?

5. What is the significance of the absence of adults in the Prologue?

6. What do you think is Dupin's primary motivation for helping Edmund?

7. How does the setting reflect Edmund's emotional state?

8. What is the significance of the fact that both Edmund and Dupin have an important person in their lives whom they call Sis?

9. Do you think the story would be as effective if it were set in a different time period?

10. What does the author accomplish in part one by having Dupin tell Edmund that Edmund already has all the facts he needs to solve the crime?

(see the answer keys)

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