The Murders in the Rue Morgue
1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
a Auguste Dupin was a police detective.
b Auguste Dupin and his friend lived in the
Rue Morgue.
c Auguste Dupin and his friend went for
walks every afternoon.
d Chantilly wrote a very bad book.
e The body of the daughter was in the
chimney.
f Some people heard an argument in the dead
women’s house.
g All of the witnesses spoke French.
h The police arrested a bank clerk.
i The murderer came to France on a ship.
j The murderer went to prison.
20 marks
2 Put the following events in the right order. Number
them 1–10.
a The neighbours and the police find the
bodies.
b Dupin explains about the voices and the
window.
c The sailor sells the orang-outang.
d The sailor finds the orang-outang again.
e People hear screams in the house.
f Dupin shows his friend a book about
orang-outangs.
g Dupin reads about the murders in the
newswpaper.
h The sailor tells his story.
i The sailor comes to see Dupin.
j Dupin and his friend go to the house.
20 marks
3 Who said this? Who did they say it to? The doctor,
Dupin, Dupin’s friend, the police, the sailor
a ‘He cannot write tragedy, that is true.’
……………….. to ………………..
b ‘I don’t know any apple-sellers!’ ………………..
to ………………..
c ‘All this was done by a very strong person.’
……………….. to ………………..
d ‘The animal ran, and I followed.’
……………….. to ………………..
e ‘I found the answer to this mystery, and he
didn’t.’ ……………….. to ………………..
20 marks
oxford bookworms library sTAge 2
Edgar Allan Poe
4 Who, in the story..? Le Bon, Dupin, Dupin’s friend,
Madame L’espanaye, Mademoiselle L’espanaye, the
COMPREHENSION
sailor
a ... met Dupin in a bookshop? ………………..
b ... came from a famous family? ………………..
c ... lived with her mother? ………………..
TEST
d ... once helped Dupin? ………………..
e ... had some hair in her hand? ………………..
f ... put an advertisement in the newspaper?
………………..
g ... carried a heavy stick? ………………..
h ... followed an orang-outang through the streets
of Paris? ………………..
i ... told the police the true story? ………………..
j ... was free at the end of the story?
………………..
20 marks
5 Fill in the gaps. Use these words: chimney, hands,
lightning-rod, orang-outang, razor, shutter, streets,
sailor, threw, window
The …………………… escaped and ran through
the ……………………of Paris. He got into the
house by climbing up the ……………………, and
then swung on the ……………………through
the open …………………… . He killed the
older woman with a ……………………, and the
younger woman with his …………………… .
Then he pushed the younger woman up the
…………………… and ……………………
her mother out of the window. The
……………………watched the murders but he
couldn’t stop them.
20 marks
Total marks
29 © oxford university press photocopiable
 The Murders in the Rue Morgue Edgar Allan Poe

Setting 14 Days before her death Madame L’Espanaye took

four thousand _____ out of the bank.
Choose the best answer.
a c francs  b c pounds   
1 The writer met Auguste Dupin while he was c c dollars  d c euros
living in Paris in the _____ of 1839. 15 The _____ was the first one up the stairs to the
a c autumn and winter  b c spring and first floor.
summer  c c winter and spring  d c summer a c musician  b c policeman   
and autumn c c kitchen worker  d c neighbour
2 Dupin was from _____ and famous family. 16 Adolphe Le Bon was the _____ who delivered
a c a rich  b c a young    the money to the house.
c c an old  d c a happy a c clerk  b c policeman   
3 _____ were the love of Dupin’s life. c c shopkeeper  d c doctor
a c Animals  b c Books    17 Henri Duval was a _____.
c c Children  d c Clothes a c shopkeeper  b c neighbour   
4 The writer and Dupin first met in a _____. c c policeman  d c cook
M U LT I P L E - C H O I C E

a c school  b c church    18 Mademoiselle L’Espanaye’s first name was

c c house  d c bookshop _____.
5 They found a house together in _____ street. a c Camille  b c Carol 
a c a quiet  b c an old    c c Clara  d c Clarissa
TEST

c c a noisy  d c a nice 19 The sailor had just come back from _____.
6 They lived only for the _____. a c Africa  b c America   
a c food  b c day  c c night  d c streets c c the East Indies  d c India
7 Dupin said that people had _____ in their faces. 20 The orang-outang had _____ hair.
a c doors  b c windows    a c red  b c brown  c c black  d c orange
c c walls  d c streets
8 The story about the murders was in the _____, 20 marks
an evening newspaper.
a c Gazette  b c Times   
c c Express  d c Telegraph Dialogue
9 People were woken from sleep by a number of
Who said this?
terrible _____.
21 ‘The apple-seller! But I don’t know any apple-
a c shouts  b c drawings   
sellers.’
c c screams  d c neighbours
a c Dupin  b c the writer   
10 The murders happened on the _____ floor.
c c Madame L’Espanaye  d c Henri Duval
a c first  b c second  c c third  d c fourth
22 ‘In six years I never saw anybody go into their
20 marks house except the postman and the doctor.’
a c Pierre Moreau  b c Pauline Dubourg   
c c Jan Odenheimer  d c Isodore Muset
Characters 23 ‘I went into the house with the others and heard
the voices on the stairs.’
Choose the best answer.
a c Auguste Dupin  b c the writer   
11 Auguste Dupin could read people’s _____. c c Adolphe Le Bon  d c William Bird
a c clothes  b c thoughts    24 ‘We must not say ‘impossible’ just because the
c c neighbours  d c windows police have done nothing.’
12 Pauline Dubourg did the _____ for Madame a c Auguste Dupin  b c the police inspector   
and her daughter. c c the writer  d c Adolphe Le Bon
a c garden  b c windows    25 ‘But perhaps the voice was speaking an African
c c washing  d c shopping language, or an Asian one.’
13 Madame L’Espanaye had lived in the Rue a c the police inspector  b c Auguste Dupin   
Morgue for _____ years. c c the writer  d c Henri Duval
a c four  b c three  c c five  d c six

oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 96 © oxford university press photocopiable

 The Murders in the Rue Morgue Edgar Allan Poe

26 ‘What has happened that has never happened 40 to fall down suddenly, because you are ill or
before?’ afraid
a c the sailor  b c the writer    a c faint  b c argue  c c fasten  d c arrest
c c the police inspector  d c Auguste Dupin
27 ‘A madman has done this – a wild and horrible 20 marks
madman ...’
a c the writer  b c the police inspector   
c c Adolphe Le Bon  d c the sailor Plot
28 ‘Sailors always use ribbons like these to tie back Choose the best answer.
their long hair.’ 41 When the police arrived the room was locked,
a c the sailor  b c the writer    with the _____ on the inside.
c c Auguste Dupin  d c the police inspector a c neighbours  b c key   
29 ‘God help me. I will tell you what I know.’ c c clerk  d c shutter
a c the writer  b c Adolphe Le Bon    42 In front of the fireplace on the floor was a
c c Auguste Dupin  d c the sailor _____.

M U LT I P L E - C H O I C E
30 ‘And last, it took the old lady’s body, carried it a c book  b c whip   
to the window, and pushed it through.’ c c newspaper  d c razor
a c Adolphe Le Bon  b c the sailor    43 A small strong-box was found under the _____.
c c the writer  d c the police inspector a c chair  b c fireplace   

TEST
c c mattress  d c window
20 marks
44 When the police looked _____ they found the
body of the daughter.
a c under the window  b c up the chimney   
Vocabulary c c in the garden  d c on the second floor
Choose the best answer. 45 The police arrested _____.
31 not able to understand or explain something a c Adolphe Le Bon  b c Auguste Dupin   
a c peculiar  b c puzzled      c c Pauline Dubourg  d c Pierre Moreau
c c tragedy  d c horrible 46 Dupin tried to take out the _____ to open the
32 when pieces of wood, etc. cross over each other windows.
a c fasten  b c shutter  c c latticed  d c nail a c shutters  b c lightning-rod   
33 a small piece of material for tying things c c nails  d c ribbon
a c ribbon  b c spring    47 It was possible to climb up the _____ to the
c c mattress  d c razor fourth floor.
34 a very sad thing that happens a c shutters  b c chimney   
a c tragedy  b c faint  c c arrest  d c ancient c c lightning-rod d c windows
35 able to move very quickly and easily 48 The owner of the orang-outang was _____ on a
a c swing  b c fasten  c c motive  d c agile Maltese ship.
36 very cruel and violent a c a sailor  b c an officer   
a c brutal  b c whip  c c horrible  d c bruise c c a kitchen worker  d c a musician
37 a person who sees something happen and can 49 The orang-outang was a wild and _____ animal.
tell other people about it later a c hungry  b c dangerous   
a c madman  b c foreigner    c c quiet  d c happy
c c witness  d c clerk 50 At the end of the story the man _____.
38 a piece of hard ground next to or between a c killed the orang-outang  b c gave the
buildings orang-outang to the police  c c sold the orang-
a c chimney  b c yard    outang  d c gave the orang-outang to Dupin
c c quarter  d c shutter
39 somebody who lives in the next house 20 marks
a c neighbour  b c foreigner   
c c orang-outang  d c clerk Total marks

oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 97 © oxford university press photocopiable