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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 is the creature guarding?

2. What does Lady Madeline do the same evening as the arrival of the narrator?

3. How does the narrator describe the window panes?

4. Where is the ruler in the early part of the song the narrator records?

5. Who is the hero of Trist?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the only instrument Roderick can tolerate hearing?

2. Why does the narrator think the house and the family are both called "The House of Usher"?

3. What seems to be happening in "real" time as the narrator reads?

4. What does Roderick believe he has done to Madeline?

5. Why is the narrator on his way to the House of Usher?

6. How does the narrator find Roderick's mental state?

7. What does the narrator do when he realizes that both twins are dead?

8. What is one picture Roderick painted that the narrator describes and says it is not as abstract as the others?

9. What type of struggle is going on within Roderick?

10. What does the narrator observe about Roderick after Madeline's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Often, authors will write about what they know, and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the story more interesting.

Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Edgar Allan Poe. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her stories? Why or why not? Give examples. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Poe's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the story and discuss Poe's probable agenda concerning that idea.

Essay Topic 2

Characters are an important part of what makes The Fall of the House of Usher interesting.

Thoroughly discuss and analyze Roderick. What are his strengths and weaknesses? How does he contribute to the plot? Is he a sympathetic character? Is he usually likable? Seldom likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas. Use the same criteria to thoroughly discuss and analyze The narrator and Lady Madeline.

Essay Topic 3

The narrator approaches the House of Usher with great trepidation when he sees the disrepair. He is telling the story of visiting a friend.

It might occur to the reader that the main character is the narrator but the story gives very little information about him. Discuss how it affects the story not knowing much about the narrator. Use examples from The Fall of the House of Usher to support your reasoning.

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