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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 is a danger to Edmund and his sister.
(b) He was lost at sea.
(c) He is missing.
(d) He stole his mother's money and abandoned her.

2. At the beginning of the story, how long have the children been alone?
(a) Two weeks.
(b) Two hours.
(c) Ten days.
(d) Two days.

3. In what month does the story begin?
(a) September.
(b) November.
(c) March.
(d) January.

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

5. What does Edmund's sister convince him to do in the Prologue?
(a) Stay inside.
(b) Beg for food.
(c) Look for a job.
(d) Go out to buy food.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the children's room like?

2. When Edmund sees the corpse at the docks, at the beginning of the story, who does he identify her as?

3. Who is Throck?

4. What is the title of one of Edgar Allan Poe's famous mystery books?

5. As he leaves the bank, what does Dupin tell Peterson his name is?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Edgar Allan Poe do in his mystery stories that no one had done before, and how does this impact future mystery writers?

2. What is the significance of Edmund's direct accusation, in Chapter Nine, that Dupin has abandoned him?

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

4. Based on the prologue, what do you think is the author's opinion of Poe as a writer?

5. Do you think Edmund should have stopped to help the old man before returning home?

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

7. What does it reveal about Dupin's character when he tells Edmund in Chapter Two, "There is a difference between what happens and what we would like to have happen"?

8. Do you think there is any significance to the author's choice of the name "Edmund"?

9. How do you think the character Dupin reflects the real-life Poe?

10. How do you think the novel would be different if there were no prologue?

(see the answer keys)

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