The Tell-Tale Heart

Which two sentences best explain how Poe creates irony, a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, in the story?

• The narrator's attempt to hide the murder actually result in him giving himself up to the police.

• The narrator chooses to commit the murder in the middle of the night, when the old man is asleep.

• The more the narrator insists that he is not mad, the more readers can detect evidence of his madness.

• The narrator's neighbor hears the old man shriek and summons the police out of concern for his safety.

How does the narrator's mention of his sharpened sense of hearing in paragraph 1 hint at the old man's death?

• It foreshadows the point when the old man's heartbeat drives the narrator to kill him.

• It foreshadows the narrator's ability to hear the police coming to check on the old man.

• It foreshadows the narrator's decision to murder the old man partly due to his loud voice.

• It foreshadows the time when the old man's sleep is disturbed by the narrator at the door.

Which definition best fits how the word acute is used in paragraph 1?

• Sharp or severe

• keenly perceptive

• less than ninety degrees

• high in pitch

Read the excerpt from paragraph 2.

I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it.

Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold...

How does the author create suspense in this excerpt?

• By identifying the source of the narrator's irrational fear

• By explaining why the narrator wants to avoid the old man

• By describing how unhealthy the old man looks to the narrator

• By repeating words to emphasize the narrator's skill as a criminal

In paragraph 4, the narrator describes going to the old man's room every night around midnight.

Why is he unable to commit the murder for the first seven nights?

• He needs to have more light in order to see his victim.

• He cannot see the old man's eye, so he lacks the motivation to act.

• He cannot sneak into the room because the old man is a restless sleeper.

• He wants to be merciful, so he gives the old man a few more days to live.

Which definition best fits how the word profound is used in paragraph 4?

• showing great insight or understanding

• deeply felt or held

• intense

• far-reaching

How does the author create suspense in paragraph 4?

• By explaining the narrator's reasons for the murder

• By having the narrator repeat the old man's words

• By describing the narrator's anxiety and fear

• By showing the narrator's repetitive actions

Which two quotes from paragraph 4 support how the narrator shows repetitive actions?

• And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it - oh, so gently!

• I moved it slowly - very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep.

• ...and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye.

• So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

In paragraphs 14-15, the narrator's tone in describing his cleanup and the first encounter with the police is one of -

• anxiety

• confidence

• indifference

• melancholy

Poe's extensive use of dashes in the last two paragraphs is effective because it -

• slows down the story so it is easier for readers to understand

• suggests that the police know every detail about the crime

• helps readers to learn about the narrator's true motives

• highlights the narrator's increased nervousness