Prof.

Vanessa Bain
“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe in Tales of
Mystery and Imagination (Level 3)

PRE-READING TASKS
- Where do you live? How would you describe your home?
- Who do you live with? What kind of relationship do you have with them?
- Which meanings of ‘HOUSE’ do you know?
- What words do you associate with these words? Write at least 5 in each group.

FALL HOUSE

- Look at the title and the pictures in the story. What do you think the story may be
about? What will the atmosphere in the story be like?

- Look at the picture on page 2 (Picture 1 above) again and write a paragraph to
describe the place.
 Prof. Vanessa Bain
WHILE-READING TASKS
A. Complete the table below with notes about the following. Do it as you read.
Time setting:

Place
setting:
Narrator:

Characters:
(Just name them
here.)

Theme:

B. Complete the table below with notes about the following. Do it as you read.
Character Physical description, personal information, feelings, conflicts, personality traits
based on what they do, say or think or what other characters say or think about
them. Copy quotes and page number if necessary.
 Prof. Vanessa Bain
C. As you read the story, write down what you consider KEY words in the
story, words that are central to the story. They could be words that appear
in the story or words you associate with it. Be ready to explain why you
chose them. Also write down one or two quotes (with page number) that
you consider relevant. Be ready to explain why you like them or consider
them important.
QUOTES

D. Answer the following questions.

Read pages 1 and 2.
 Prof. Vanessa Bain

1. What’s the atmosphere like? How is it created? Circle the words in the text
that help create that atmosphere.
2. How did the narrator feel?
3. Whose house did the story take place at?
4. How was the narrator related to the owner of the house?
5. Why did the narrator go there?
6. How long was he going to stay there?
 Prof. Vanessa Bain
Read pages 3 to 5.
Prof. Vanessa Bain
 Prof. Vanessa Bain

1. How did the narrator’s feelings change?

2. Who did the narrator meet when he got to the house?
3. What was Roderick Usher’s room like?
4. How did Roderick look different now? What was wrong with him?
5. Who was Madeline? What did she look like? What was wrong with her?
6. Why do you think Roderick said, “You will probably not see her again
alive,”?
 Prof. Vanessa Bain
Read pages 6 to 9. Then, complete the statements below.
Prof. Vanessa Bain
Prof. Vanessa Bain
 Prof. Vanessa Bain

1. Roderick seemed to __________________________________________.

2. They put Lady Madeline _______________________________________.
3. Being dead she seemed to be __________________________________.
4. After Madeline’s death, Roderick ________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
5. Seven or eight days later, during a storm, __________________________
__________________________________________________________.
6. When Roderick went to the narrator’s room, the narrator felt ___________
because ___________________________________________________.
7. When Usher said, ‘Have you seen it?’ I think he referred to
_________________________________________________________.
 Prof. Vanessa Bain
Read on up to the end.
Prof. Vanessa Bain
Prof. Vanessa Bain
Prof. Vanessa Bain
 Prof. Vanessa Bain

1. What book did the narrator choose? Was it a good choice? Why (not)?
2. What did they hear during the reading? Where did the sound come from?
3. What did Roderick say? What did that mean?
4. What happened to Roderick and Madeline?
5. What happened to the house?
6. What does the last sentence mean?