The Tell Tale Heart

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is told mainly in the tense, from a point of view.

• past; first person

• past; third person

• present; first person

• present; third person

The following passage (paragraph 3) mainly suggests that .

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night about midnight I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern all closed, closed so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!—would a madman have been so wise as this? And then when my head was well in the room I undid the lantern cautiously— oh, so cautiously— cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights—every night just at midnight—but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. 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.

• The narrator is not a madman

• the narrator won't be able to kill the old man

• the narrator does not understand his own madness and insanity

• the old man is aware of the narrator's evil plans

Death” in the passage below most likely refers to _____________.

… He had been saying to himself—"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or, "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him, had stalked with his black shadow before him and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel—although he neither saw nor heard—to feel the presence of my head within the room.

• the narrator

• the old man

• spirit or higher power

• none of the above

Which of the following words best replaces sagacity in the passage below?

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity

• stupidity

• righteousness

• determination

• cleverness

The sound of the old man’s heart most closely symbolizes ___________.

• the revenge of the old man

• the guilt of the narrator

• the knowledge of the police

• the sadness of the narrator

Which of the following passages of text best proves the answer to Question 5?

• “There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.”

• “A shriek had been heard by a neighbor during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.”

• “The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease.”

• “Dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of this hideous heart!”

According to the narrator, which of the following best explains why he decides to kill the old man?

• The old man had wronged him too many times.

• He is insane and has no awareness of his actions.

• He wants to steal the old man’s fortune.

• He is haunted by the appearance of one of the man’s eyes.

Which of the following from the text best supports the answer to Question 7?

• “It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night.”

• “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.”

• “Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”

• “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.”

Write two or three sentences explaining how the narrator feels about the old man and why he decides to murder him.

Does the narrator seem trustworthy as he gives his account of the events in the story? Cite evidence from the text to explain your opinions.