The Tell-Tale Heart (HMH: Into Literature)

Which sentence best explains how Poe creates irony in the story?

• The narrator’s attempts to hide the murder actually result in him giving himself up to the police.

• The narrator chooses to commit the murder in the middle of the night, when the old man is asleep.

• The narrator’s neighbor hears the old man shriek and summons the police out of concern for his safety.

• The narrator admits that he could not stop thinking about the old man and about his pale, filmy eye.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

How does the narrator’s mention of his sharpened sense of hearing in paragraph 1 foreshadow the old man’s death?

• It foreshadows the point when the old man’s heartbeat drives the narrator to kill him.

• It foreshadows the narrator’s ability to hear the police coming to check on the old man.

• It foreshadows the narrator’s decision to murder the old man partly due to his loud voice.

• It foreshadows the time when the old man’s sleep is disturbed by the narrator at the door.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

How does the author create suspense in this excerpt from paragraph 2?

"I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold. . . "

• By identifying the source of the narrator’s irrational fear

• By explaining why the narrator wants to avoid the old man

• By describing how unhealthy the old man looks to the narrator

• By repeating words to emphasize the narrator’s skill as a criminal

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

In paragraph 4, the narrator describes going to the old man’s room every night around midnight. Why is he unable to commit the murder for the first seven nights?

• He needs to have more light in order to see his victim.

• He cannot see the old man’s eye, so he lacks the motivation to act.

• He cannot sneak into the room because the old man is a restless sleeper.

• He wants to be merciful, so he gives the old man a few more days to live.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

How does the author create suspense in paragraph 4?

• By explaining the narrator’s reasons for the murder

• By having the narrator repeat the old man’s words

• By describing the narrator’s anxiety and fear

• By showing the narrator’s repetitive actions

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

In paragraphs 14–15, the narrator’s tone in describing his cleanup and first encounter with the police is one of —

• anxiety

• confidence

• indifference

• melancholy

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Poe’s extensive use of dashes in the last two paragraphs is effective because it —

• slows down the story so it is easier for readers to understand

• suggests that the police know every detail about the crime

• helps readers to learn about the narrator’s true motives

• highlights the narrator’s increased nervousness

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

The use of a first-person narrator in the story —

• allows readers to understand each character’s viewpoint

• helps explain how the characters are related to each other

• gives readers insight into the narrator’s unstable state of mind

• illustrates how the old man treats the narrator from day to day

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which piece of evidence best shows that the narrator cannot escape his guilty conscience?

• "Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me." (paragraph 2)

• "I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work" (paragraph 4)

• "I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness—until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears." (paragraph 17)

• "I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of the men—but the noise steadily increased." (paragraph 18)

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which piece of evidence best shows that the murder does not have a traditional motive?

• "Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me." (paragraph 2)

• "I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work" (paragraph 4)

• "I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness—until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears." (paragraph 17)

• "I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of the men—but the noise steadily increased." (paragraph 18)

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6