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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. At the docks, who is Edmund pursued by?
(a) Someone he never sees.
(b) A man with dark hair.
(c) A ghost.
(d) A man with white hair.

2. What does Edmund buy at the tavern for himself and his mother?
(a) A meat pie.
(b) Bread.
(c) A newspaper.
(d) Candles and matches.

3. What does Dupin use to decipher the encoded message Edmund found at Mrs. Whitman's house?
(a) The Raven.
(b) The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
(c) The newspaper notices.
(d) The Gold Bug.

4. What does one of the newspaper notices say?
(a) Peterson is residing at the Hotel American House.
(b) Peterson is demanding a ransom for Edmund's mother.
(c) Peterson is demanding a ransom for Edmund's sister.
(d) Peterson can be reached at the Providence Bank.

5. What do Poe's actions at the end of the novel demonstrate?
(a) He is suicidal.
(b) He has a new lease on life.
(c) He has given up on life.
(d) He is determined to help others.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does seeing himself in Edmund lead Poe to do?

2. How does Throck convince Poe to help him and Edmund find Edmund's sister?

3. What does Dupin find in the mausoleum?

4. When Edmund follows Dupin to see if he will meet Mrs. Whitman in the cemetery, Dupin first goes into a _____.

5. What does Dupin tell Edmund about Mr. Arnold?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Edmund's character change by Chapter 18, compared to the Prologue?

2. What is the symbolism in Chapter 19 of Poe's belief upon seeing Edmund and his mother that his characters have come to life?

3. If you were Edmund, how do you feel about Poe's assertion that Sis lives on longer in Poe's story than she does in real life?

4. How does the final chase scene in Chapter 21 differ from the rest of the novel?

5. Do you think Poe is a coward for giving up on marrying Helen because, as he says, too many timid people feel threatened by his power as a writer?

6. Do you think Poe is able to make up his own mind whether or not to root for Edmund's happiness, or does his nature force him to hope for the worst?

7. Why do you think the author has Edmund's mother demand both the divorce and her money, rather than just being satisfied with a divorce, when she first encounters her husband?

8. What is the symbolism, in Chapter 13, of Dupin's imagining that Helen's mothers guests are demons wearing masks of black death?

9. Why do you think the author uses the circular technique of starting Poe's story in a way that is identical to the start of the novel?

10. Why do you think Edmund makes the final decision to tear up Poe's story before going to the docks to rescue Sis?

(see the answer keys)

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