The Tell Tale Heart Comprehension Questions

Which of the following does Poe establish about the narrator with the opening sentence, "True! - very, very, dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?"

• The narrator is not insane, but he believes he is.

• The narrator is not usually nervous.

• The narrator believes he is not insane, but he probably is.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What reason does the narrator give for wanting to kill the old man?

• He hates the old man

• He wants the old man's gold

• The old man insulted him

• The old man has a clouded eye

Which of the following is most likely the source of the sound the narrator identifies as the old man's heartbeat?

• a watch wrapped in cotton

• the old man's heartbeat

• the narrator's imagination

• his own heartbeat

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Why does the narrator confess his crime?

• The police accuse him of the crime.

• He thinks the old man wants him to confess.

• He wants to explain to the police how he did it.

• He thinks the police are able to hear the heartbeat he hears.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which of the following best describes the climax of the story?

• The narrator is discovered to be mad.

• The narrator decides to kill the old man.

• The narrator hears what he thinks is the beating of the old man's heart.

• The narrator confesses to his crime.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

The first fact revealed in the story "The Tell-Tale Heart" is that the narrator is mad. How does the narrator's insanity immediately change the reader's expectation of the narrator and the plot?

• The reader knows that the plot will be extremely dark and disturbing.

• The reader does not know what to expect from the narrator or the plot.

• The reader expects that the narrator will behave rationally.

• The reader thinks the narrator will become sane by the end of the story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6