Tell Tale Heart
Cancel
-
+
Short quiz over the Tell Tale Heart.
- 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
Back to top
