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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 Dupin NOT tell Edmund about his mother?

2. When Edmund arrives to rescue his sister, who is trying to take her away?

3. What truth does Edmund demand of Poe before they part ways?

4. Given what he learns at the portrait studio, what does Dupin come to believe?

5. What does Poe's style of courting Mrs. Whitman reflect?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do both Dupin and Edmund frequently believe they have seen ghosts?

2. 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?

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

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

5. Why do you think Dupin decides that his work is done after summing up the details of the solved mystery in Chapter 17?

6. 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?

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

8. How do you think Edmund felt upon reading the beginning of Poe's story, and seeing the name "Edgar" changed to "Edmund"? Do you think it made him regret having torn up the rest of the story?

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

10. What is the symbolism in Chapter 19 of Edmund's grabbing Poe's story and threatening to rip it up if Poe does not help him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Once the central conflict of Sis's disappearance is resolved, do you characterize Poe's dissatisfaction with it as a twist? Poe makes it clear to Edmund that he believes he can give Sis immortality in his story. Is Poe's lack of reaction to Sis's recovery to be expected, or is it a surprise that adds color and depth to the final moments of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Keeping in mind that this novel is a work of fiction, do you agree with Poe when he tells Edmund that Sis would have "lived longer" in his story than she could in reality? Do you think Poe himself has in a sense lived longer because of his presence in this novel?

Essay Topic 3

Edmund has one trusted adult friend: Captain Elias. Why do you think he waits so long to visit Captain Elias and seek out his help? Do you see this as a flaw in the novel? Does the author have Edmund avoid his friend just so that his relationship with Dupin/Poe can play out in a more interesting way? Do you think the author should have deleted Captain Elias from the novel, and imparted the information Captain Elias shares in some other way?

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