View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say he often finds Usher doing?

2. Why does the door to the vault below the narrator's apartments make an unusually sharp, grating sound when it is opened?

3. From what does the narrator say his feelings about Usher must arise?

4. How often is it likely that the narrator will see Madeline in the future?

5. What does the narrator say is "cadaverously wan"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator help Roderick regarding Roderick's deceased sister?

2. Who does the narrator meet on the stairs and what is the narrator's impression of the person?

3. What does Roderick seem to vacillate between?

4. What does Roderick say drives him to despair?

5. What does the narrator notice Roderick doing as they hear a clanging sound at the same time the book mentions the same such sound?

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

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

8. What had Roderick written to the narrator to get the narrator to come visit?

9. How do the men like the book the narrator reads and what surprises the narrator about Roderick's response to the book?

10. How does the narrator throw off his sense of gloom upon approaching the house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many readers of fiction place themselves in the position of one character, wondering if they would do the same thing as that character.

Do you think one of the values of literature is to serve as a reflection of oneself? Why or why not? Socrates said "Know thyself." How can reading a story such as The Fall of the House of Usher help a reader to know him/herself? Do you find yourself reflecting on your own character and abilities when reading The Fall of the House of Usher? Why or why not. Use examples from The Fall of the House of Usher and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Poe includes a poem, The Haunted Palace, in the story which he later publishes separately.

Discuss the meaning the poem has to the story. Use examples from The Fall of the House of Usher to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 3

The Fall of the House of Usher belongs to the gothic horror genre.

Define the literary term "genre" and name three other genres in addition to the gothic horror genre. What are the advantages and disadvantages of assigning a genre to a story? What do you think is the difference between a gothic horror and a historical story or mystery?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 719 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample