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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. Where did the brutal murder take place?

2. What is the name of the narrator in Notebook Found in a Deserted House?

3. How much money was paid to Old Peter?

4. How old is the narrator?

5. The savant in the woods often read from which forbidden book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Albert Wilmarth? Why is he an important part of the story?

2. Who is the protagonist in "The Salem Horror?" What kind of unusual circumstance does the man face when looking for a place to live and work?

3. In the story Cold Print, the main character is Strutt. Who is Strutt? What is his personality?

4. What happens when Carson discovers the secret room? Who turns up in the room due to an element of evil activity? Who rids the house of the entity?

5. Paul Lang learns about an ancient manuscript called the Voynich. What does Lang do when he cannot find a copy of the text?

6. What is the prequel to The Shadow from the Steeple? In The Shadow from the Steeple Fiske arrives on the scene with a specific focus. What is Fiske's focus?

7. Who is Dr. Ambrose Dexter? Why is he important in the story? What does Fiske find when he meets Dexter?

8. What happens to the writer's translator friend when he begins to read the Latin text of De Vermis Mysteriis?

9. What were some of the things that could serve as proof of the threshold and what lay beyond?

10. After Al and Cissie sail off aboard the yacht, they disappear from the scene. What has happened to Al and Cissie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Various cults are mentioned in the stories including the "nameless cults." Discuss cults as they relate to the tales. Who is involved in each cult? What is the fascination involved with studying cults? Which characters seem to be most interested in learning about cults and their rituals? What type of worship is demanded by the cult leaders? How do characters change once they become involved with a cult?

Essay Topic 2

Time travel is a popular notion in this genre. Time travel allows a character to experience another world, albeit with dangerous or deadly consequences. In "The Hounds of Tindalos," Chalmers claims that he has gone too far when it comes to time travel and that he has alerted the hounds of Tindalos which will ultimately make him pay for his misdeeds. Examine why time travel is a main topic in many horror stories. Explain how it is done in the stories and the characters' motivation for attempting to do it. Also examine the potential dangers in time travel and why the characters choose to ignore the warning signs.

Essay Topic 3

In several stories, certain characters become possessed. In "Ubbo-Sathla," Paul Tregardis becomes possessed by the great wizard Zon Mezzamalech. In "The Shadow from the Steeple," Dr. Dexter becomes possessed after handling the Shining Trapezohedron. In "Rising with Surtsey," Julian Haughtree becomes possessed by a great, evil amorphous entity. Discuss possession. Do you believe possession is real? Explain. How can a person become possessed? How can someone tell if another is possessed? How did the characters change during and after the possession? What happens to the characters after they are possessed?

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