The Tell-Tale Heart and Edgar Allan Poe

What does the narrator say that madness has done to him? 

• made him nervous
• sharpened his senses
• made him hear things
• turned him into a murderer

It is difficult to believe the narrator when he says that he 

• opened the creaky lantern carefully
• heard the old man groan in the dark
• treated the old man well before killing him
• moved slowly to keep from waking the man

The author creates suspense by describing the sound of the old man’s heartbeat as the sound of a 

• watch's ticking
• cricket's chirping
• mouse's footsteps
• lantern's creaking 

The narrator is overconfident after killing the old man when he 

• thinks that no one has heard the old man scream
• thinks that he has hidden the old man's murder
• guesses that no one will miss the old man 
• believes that only he can hear the heartbeat 

Why is the narrator upset with the police at the end of the story?

• His heart starts to beat very fast
• The police find the old man's body
• The police accuse him of the murder
• He thinks they are making fun of him 

The narrator waits a week before killing the old man because the narrator 

• says that he must see the old man's eye first
• likes frightening the old man many times
• wiats for the darkest night of the week 
• feels guilty about taking a human life

How does the author create suspense in this excerpt? “To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled.” 

• The narrator’s laughing causes you to fear for the old man’s safety. 
• The old man’s movement indicates his knowledge of the narrator’s thoughts
• The narrator shows great anxiety and fear of being discovered.
• The repeated description of the narrator’s movements is vivid and dramatic. 

The narrator has a high opinion of himself when he describes his 

•  fear of the old man’s Evil Eye
• triumph over his feelings of insanity
• understanding of the old man’s groan of terror
• ability to see in the dark of the old man’s room 

You can evaluate the narrator’s state of mind as unreliable when he 

• explains that he did not kill the old man for his money
• describes how slowly he moved on the night of the murder
• confesses in the beginning of the story that he is nervous
• says how sane he is but then describes what he does to the body 

Why does the narrator begin to panic at the end of the story? 

• The police question him closely about the old man’s whereabouts.
• He thinks that the police can hear the old man’s heartbeat
• He thinks that the police can see blood on the floor of the old man’s room.
• The police become suspicious when the narrator begins to speak quickly.