Poe & "The Black Cat"

This story is told by the narrator

• as an appeal to his sentence for release.
• in writing so that one day someone might understand it and he needs to confess to cleanse his soul.
• who is a reliable narrator as he lived the life.
• who explains that he is both mad and a dreamer but must unburden his conscience. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

What did the narrator tell the reader before he began the story?

• a.  he wanted to caution the reader about falling into the same trap he fell in.
• b.  he had no memory of what happened.
• c.  he would die tomorrow and he wanted to unburden his soul.
• d.  he was unjustly accused of a crime he did not commit.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

The first cat was named after which of the following?

• a. a type of diseases that cats get

• b. the greek god of the underworld

• c. the roman god of the underworld

• d. the name of the narrator's girlfriend

The story alludes to the superstition that cats are really

• a.  witches in disguise
• b.  our dead ancestors
• c.  the ghost of murdered people
• d.  not good pets to have

The narrator blames his change in mood and behavior on

• a.   a brain tumor
• b.   alcohol
• c.  a curse put on him
• d.  his wife divorcing him

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

What  did the narrator hang in the garden?

• a.  the cat
• b.  a rabbit
• c.  a dog
• d.  the narrator's wife

What happened to the narrator's first house?

• a.  it was foreclosed on, and he was evicted.
• b.  it was burglarized
• c.  it was destroyed by a flood
• d.  it burned down, except one wall.

What is ironic about the two cats in this short story?

• a. they both scratch the narrator

• b. they both have only one eye

• c. they are both killed by the narrator

• d. they both have a white patch on their chest

The one trait that differed from the second cat to Pluto was 

• a splotch of white fur on his underside
• its tail would not twitch
• Pluto has white hair below his chin
• Pluto's purr was silent

In addition to the second cat looking like Pluto in weight and color, it 

• had only one eye, too
• had some white fur, too
• was from a tavern, too
• loved his wife best, too