NAME :

CLASS :
The Fall of the House Of Usher- MPU1
DATE :
30 Questions

1. At the beginning of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” what

does the narrator do?

a) He listens to Roderick Usher’s b) He travels with Roderick Usher to visit

improvisations on the guitar. Usher’s family home.

c) He travels to visit Roderick Usher at d) He helps Roderick Usher bury Roderick’s

Usher’s family home. sister Madeline in a vault.

2. Which phrase best describes Usher’s state of mind in “The

Fall of the House of Usher”?

a) cautious and glum b) dull and depressed

c) suspicious and miserable d) nervous and agitated

3. True or False: In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Usher

says that is biggest fear is being buried alive?

a) True b) False

4. Which of the following is the most accurate description of

what happens to Madeline Usher in “The Fall of the House
of Usher”?

a) She dies, is buried by her brother, but then b) She appears to die, is mistakenly
returns to life to terrorize her brother and entombed, but then revives and forces her
the narrator. way to freedom before dying.

c) She pretends to die, is taken for dead and d) She nearly dies, recovers through a
is buried, but then emerges from her crypt doctor’s help, but then is thrown into an
to destroy the house. underground cell by her brother.
5. Which is the most accurate description of the ending of the
“The Fall of the House of Usher”?

a) During a storm, the waters of the tarn
surrounding the house rise until the house
is submerged.
c) During a storm, Roderick Usher madly
rushes about striking at the house until he
causes its collapse.
b) During a storm, the barely perceptible
!ssure in the façade of the house widens
until the house collapses.
d) During a storm, Roderick and Madeline
Usher struggle so madly that they cause
the collapse of the house.

6. If a storm were to annihilate a building, which of the

following would most likely be the result?

a) The building would have part of its roof b) The building would have damage but
torn o". would remain intact.

c) The building would be reduced to small d) The building would be removed from its
fragments. foundation.

7. Which of the following would most likely be considered an

antiquity?

a) a vase from ancient times b) a rusty piece of jewelry

c) a house built in the 1950s d) a logbook from a space shuttle

8. Which of the following is the best example of a tumultuous

event?

a) a foggy night that hides the moon b) a drought that causes crops to wither and
die
c) a storm so loud that it is hard to hear d) a winter night so cold that snow freezes
others speaking into ice

9. What feature does the narrator notice about the exterior of

the house which extends from roof to tarn

a) a !ssure b) fungi
c) vacant, eye-like windows d) fallen masonry
10. What kills Roderick at the end of the story?

a) fear b) Madeline

c) Roderick d) the narrator

11. Read the following sentence from “The Fall of the House of
Usher,” in which the narrator explains that he has received
a letter from Roderick Usher.A letter, however, had lately
reached me in a distant part of the country—a letter from him
—which, in its wildly importunate nature, had admitted of no
other than a personal reply.What is the most likely reason
the narrator says the letter “admitted of no other than a
personal reply”? Base your answer on your knowledge of
the story as well as on the sentence.

a) The narrator feels obliged to respond to b) The narrator is worried that it will seem
his friend’s request for a visit because his rude if he does not answer the letter in a
friend is clearly upset. personal way.

c) The narrator hopes his friend will invite d) The narrator believes that his friend is
him to stay in the distant part of the threatening to harm him if he does not
country where his friend lives. give the right answer.

12. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which details of the

house’s interior seem to re#ect Usher’s appearance and the
condition of his mind?

a) Usher’s confused behavior is re#ected in b) Usher’s self-assurance and noble manner

the broken mirrors is re#ected in its wealth and splendor.
c) Usher’s advanced age and old-fashioned d) Usher’s physical and mental deterioration
ways are re#ected in the ancient is re#ected in the gloomy darkness, lack of
furnishings. comfort, and old, worn-out possessions.

13. “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which of the following is

one of Roderick Usher’s disturbing ideas?

a) Usher believes that his house has b) Usher believes that his house will fall
awareness, like a living thing. apart, sliding into the tarn.
c) Usher believes that his sister will die, even d) Usher believes that the narrator has held a
though she is healthy. grudge, ever since boyhood.
14. Which of the following is a de!ning element of Gothic
literature that is clearly illustrated by “The Fall of the House
of Usher”?

a) believable characters and settings b) weird or otherworldly occurrences

c) a narrator who is also a character in the d) a contrast between rational and irrational
story characters

15. Read the following excerpt from “The Fall of the House of
Usher.”The impetuous fury of the entering gust nearly lifted us
from our feet. It was, indeed, a tempestuous yet sternly
beautiful night, and one wildly singular in its terror and its
beauty.… —yet we had no glimpse of the moon or stars, … But
the under surfaces of the huge masses of agitated vapor, as
well as all terrestrial objects immediately around us, were
glowing in the unnatural light of a faintly luminous and
distinctly visible gaseous exhalation which hung about and
enshrouded the mansion.In what way is this excerpt most
clearly characteristic of Gothic literature?

a) The description is dramatic. The setting b) The description is detailed. The setting
described is eerie. described is stormy.
c) The description is dramatic. The setting d) The description is detailed. The setting
described has wild beauty. described is !lled with light.

16. Read the following sentence.The wrestler faced his adversary

in the ring.In which of these answer choices does the
underlined word have a denotation and a connotation
closest to the denotation and the connotation of
adversary?

a) Keisha’s foe on the student council was
Joe, who voted against every suggestion
she made.
c) The hurricane was a natural catastrophe
on the island, damaging several homes
and a hotel.
b) The United Nations can serve as an arbiter
between nations when they are in
disagreement.
d) Sofía’s strongest competitor in the race is
Ashley, who logged a very fast time last
year.
17. Read the following sentence.Malik bought his mother some
!owers, and she enjoyed their fragrance.In which of these
answer choices does the underlined word have the same
denotation as fragrance but a clearly opposite
connotation?

a) Arjun knew from the stench of the b) Melanie breathed in the aroma of freshly
leftovers that it was time to clean the baked bread as she walked past the bakery
refrigerator

c) Dion used a new spice when he made d) Freddie agrees that the interior of a new
dinner for his family, and they praised the car has a special odor, but he does not like
#avor. it.

18. Select the answer choice in which a dependent clause is

underlined.

a) Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be the
inventor of the detective story.
c) He earned his living as a writer, but he was
in !nancial di$culties for most of his short
life.
b) Writers all over the world have imitated his
tales of mystery and supernatural events.
d) Though the cause of Poe’s death is
unknown, many believe that poor health
and habits were probably the main factors.

19. Select the complex sentence.

a) Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, while they delight b) Poe’s writing style is considered dense and
the imagination, also challenge one’s challenging by many of today’s readers.
intelligence.

c) Still, most young people like his tales of d) Have you seen the movie House of Usher or
horror, and some stories have been made another !lm called The Haunted Palace?
into popular movies
20. Select the compound-complex sentence.

a) Poe also wrote poems that cover a wide b) For example, he wrote “Annabel Lee,” a
range of human emotions, including love, tender love poem dedicated to his
joy, and intense sorrow. deceased and beloved wife.

c) “The Raven,” a long poem by Poe, has the
melancholy, pessimistic tone of his short
stories, but it is one of his most popular
works.
d) He also wrote a poem that he entitled “The
Bells” because the words in the verse
imitate the sounds of di"erent kinds of
bells, and the poem has become a popular
piece to be read aloud by a chorus.

21. As he approaches the house, the narrator___________

a) Feels elated b) Is overcome by deep melancholy
c) Grows insanely jealous d) Su"ers guilt feelings

22. Who fears that his own house is making him ill?
a) Roderick Usher b) Madeline Usher

c) Narrator d) Ethelred

23. What are the names of the last two descendants of Usher?

a) Roderick and Madeline b) Roger and Madeline

c) Roderick and Melanie d) Roger and Melanie

24. Near the end of the story, what does the narrator begin to
feel?

a) He believes he is falling to the same b) He believes he is being possessed.

disease as Usher.

c) He believes he is in love with Usher. d) He believes he needs to kill Usher..

25. The windows are described as ...

a) warm b) colorful
c) blue d) vacant
26. a !ssure is a...

a) !sh b) crack
c) bone d) illness

27. What happens to the House of Usher in the end?

a) it disintegrates b) it cracks and sinks in !re

c) it is blown up d) a car crashes into it

28. What is the setting of the story?

a) A large city during the 1800’s b) A gloomy countryside during the 1800’s
c) On top of a mountain during a snowstorm d) A severe thunderstorm on Halloween night

29. Who dies at the end?

a) Narrator b) Lady Madeline
c) Lady Madeline and Roderick Usher d) Roderick Usher

30. When Madeline dies, where do Roderick and the narrator

bury her?

a) in the family grave out back b) in the vault

c) they cremate her and throw the ashes in d) in the crack in the house
the tarn
Answer Key
1. c
2. d
3. b
4. b
5. b
6. c
7. a
8. c
9. a
10. a
11. a
12. d
13. a
14. b
15. a
16. a
17. a
18. d
19. a
20. d
21. b
22. a
23. a
24. a
25. d
26. b
27. b
28. b
29. c
30. b