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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 is the ruler in the early part of the song the narrator records?

2. What does the narrator speculate has contributed to the appearance of the premises?

3. Besides books, what else were scattered about in the room?

4. What does Usher do after shading his lamp's light?

5. How does the narrator describe the atmosphere of the room?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose and when was the vault used in previous times?

2. What changes about Roderick's voice in the days following Madeline's death?

3. How does the narrator react to Roderick's mood after Madeline's death?

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

5. How does the narrator react upon first seeing Roderick?

6. How does the narrator respond to Roderick's increasing instability?

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

8. What announcement does Roderick abruptly make one evening?

9. To what does the narrator attribute the changes in Roderick?

10. What is Roderick's response to Madeline falling upon him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Poe wrote in a different era and culture then the present. Some of the language will seem archaic to modern readers.

Do you think a story or story written so long ago is still relevant to today’s readers? What might make The Fall of the House of Usher a timeless story? Use examples from The Fall of the House of Usher to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Trace and analyze the theme of madness or mental illness in The Fall of the House of Usher. Consider the following questions as you write: Examine which characters are sane and which do not seem sane. What are some symbols of madness? How does the madness of the characters relate to the story? How does the madness of the characters move the story along?

Trace and analyze the theme of isolation in The Fall of the House of Usher. Which characters struggle with this issue? Why? Which characters seem to have been affected by isolation? What are the reasons some of the characters are isolated? How does the theme relate to the plot? Could the plot have occurred without the isolation of some of the characters?

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.

(see the answer keys)

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