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

2. At the end, what does Edmund come to realize about Poe's agenda?

3. What does Mr. Arnold ask Dupin at Mrs. Whitman's home?

4. What does Dupin NOT tell Edmund about Arnold's classified ad?

5. Why does Poe believe he will not marry Mrs. Whitman at the end of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Poe drops the remainder of his story on the ground before walking away from Edward for the last time?

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

3. 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?

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

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. What is the significance, in Chapter 16, of Edmund throwing himself at a man with a gun?

8. What is the importance of the guests' discussion of whether it is possible to read a man's character from his face?

9. What does Dupin mean in Chapter 16 when he tells Edmund that "lies have their own truth"?

10. What does Dupin mean in Chapter 14 when he tells Edmund that "the story is over"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How many mysteries are there in this novel? How do they overlap? Analyze how the clues for solving each mystery are necessary for solving the others.

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of the story Poe is writing throughout the course of the novel? How does it change, and how do these changes reflect the changes in Poe's character and in his relationship with Edmund?

Essay Topic 3

Dupin/Poe tells Edmund that "lies have their own truth." Do you agree? Do you think this is the case only in fiction, or in real life as well?

(see the answer keys)

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