Tell Tale Heart

Reread these lines from the beginning of "The Tell Tale Heart":

You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded-with what caution-....

Which of the following questions might a reader of that passage have?

• Is the narrator lonely?

• Is the narrator insane?

• Will the narrator's story be long or short?

• Will the narrator find true love?

What is it about the old man that scares and angers the narrator of "The Tell Tale Heart?

• his clouded blue eyes

• his old house

• his children

• his pet snake

What does the old man in "The Tell Tale Heart" do when he hears a noise on the eighth night?

• he reaches for a gun

• he begins to sob with terror

• he walks to the door

• he sits up and asks who is there

The narrator chuckles at the old man's fear. What does this response tell you about the narrator?

• he likes comedy

• he is impatient

• he is cruel

• he is tired

Where does the narrator hide the old man's body?

• in a grave in the backyard

• in a closet

• under a pile of blankets

• under the floorboards

Why does the neighbor call the police to the house?

• he heard a shriek

• he heard a loud, repetitive thumping

• he saw the murder through a window

• he saw the murder in a dream

What does the narrator want people to think about him?

• he wants people to think he is pleasant

• he wants people to think he is crazy

• he wants people to think he is intelligent and patient

• he wants people to think he is angry at the old man

What does the narrator start to think he hears as "The Tell Tale Heart" progresses?

• the roar of the ocean

• the sounds of neighbors

• a heart beating

• the old man's increasingly loud groans

On the eighth night, the narrator grows furious. How do the old man's feelings contrast with the narrators?

• the old man is calm

• the old man is fearful

• the old man is joyous

• the old man is bored

As "The Tell Tale Heart" progresses, how does the narrator's mood change?

• He becomes increasingly puzzled

• He becomes increasingly excited

• He becomes increasingly calm

• he becomes increasingly happy