The Tell-Tale Heart

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

• his clouded blue eye

• 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 of “The Tell-Tale Heart” 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 of “The Tell-Tale Heart” hide the old man's body?

• in a grave in the backyard

• in a closet

• under a pile of blankets

• under the floorboards

In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” why does a 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 of “The Tell-Tale Heart” 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 of “The Tell-Tale Heart” grows furious. How do the old man's feelings contrast with the narrator's?

• The old man is calm.

• The old man is fearful.

• The old man is joyful.

• 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.

Why does the narrator finally confess to the murder?

• He wants to shock the police officers.

• He thinks the officers hear the heartbeat and are mocking him.

• The neighbor hears a shriek.

• He wants to be rewarded for the intelligence of his murder plan.