Short Quiz Over The Tell Tale Heart Story
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The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1843. Have you had the chance to read this story? Was it terrifying? Take the quiz and see what you can remember from it.
- 1.What sort of prediction is the reader most likely to make after reading these opening lines from “The Tell-Tale Heart”?You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have see how wisely I proceeded.
- A.
Whether there will be a happy ending
- B.
Whether the narrator is really mad
- C.
Whether the story will be short or long
- D.
Whether the narrator will find true love
- 2.Why does the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” kill the old man?
- A.
Because he wanted his money
- B.
Because he couldn’t stand to look at the old man’s eye
- C.
Because he was tired of the old man’s complaints
- D.
Because he wanted the house to himself
- 3.By not telling the reader immediately why the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is sneaking the lantern into the old man’s bedroom, the author creates an element of
- A.
Humor
- B.
Suspense
- C.
Confusion
- D.
Conflict
- 4.What can be interpreted from the narrator’s actions in this passage from “The Tell-Tale Heart”? I moved . . . slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed.
- A.
He is very frightened
- B.
He is very intelligent
- C.
He is very wise
- D.
He is very cautious
- 5.Why does the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” greet the old man so heartily every morning?
- A.
Because he really cares for him
- B.
Out of guilt
- C.
Because he himself is a cheerful fellow
- D.
To reassure the old man
- 6.Upon entering the old man’s room on the eighth night, the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” feels
- A.
Unexpectedly frightened
- B.
Unexpectedly powerful
- C.
No different than usual
- D.
A slight chill
- 7.In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” what is different about the old man’s reaction to the narrator’s intrusion on the eighth night?
- A.
He is armed.
- B.
He seems unconcerned.
- C.
He wakes up and asks who is there.
- D.
He invites the man to sit down and talk.
- 8.
- A.
I undid the lantern cautiously.
- B.
For a whole hour I did not move a muscle. . . .
- C.
I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart.
- D.
Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions.
- 9.
- A.
Cruelty
- B.
Sympathy
- C.
Sense of humor
- D.
Excitability
- 10.Why does the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” cast a small beam of light on the old man’s face?
- A.
So that he can look at his eye
- B.
To shock him
- C.
So he can make his way over to the bed
- D.
To reassure the old man
- 11.What sound is being described in the following passage from “The Tell-Tale Heart”? . . . now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.
- A.
The distant roar of the ocean
- B.
The narrator’s heart
- C.
The old man’s heart
- D.
The pounding of the police on the front door
- 12.In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the gradual increase in the loudness of the noise helps to increase the story’s
- A.
Climax
- B.
Mystery
- C.
Believability
- D.
Suspense
- 13.The narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” disposes of the old man’s body
- A.
In a shallow grave dug in the backyard
- B.
In a closet
- C.
Under a pile of old blankets
- D.
Underneath the floorboards
- 14.In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the police were summoned to the crime by a neighbor who
- A.
Heard a shriek
- B.
Heard the loud, repetitive thumping
- C.
Saw the whole murder through a window
- D.
Saw the whole murder in a prophetic nightmare
- 15.In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the suspense that leads to the confession is expressed most sharply in
- A.
The suspicions of the police officers
- B.
The smooth behavior of the narrator
- C.
The ever-loudening sound of the heartbeat
- D.
The creaking noise coming from beneath the floorboards
- 16.In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the narrator’s suddenly blurted confession is really due to
- A.
His own guilt over the murder
- B.
His sense of being trapped by the probing questions of the police
- C.
The threat of a beating by the police
- D.
An accidental slip of the tongue
- 17.In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” which of the following words is closest in meaning to sagacity?
- A.
Capacity
- B.
Quickness
- C.
Wisdom
- D.
Stylishness
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