The Raven Comprehension Quiz

What was the narrator doing on a cold night at midnight before he was disturbed by a knock?

• 
  Writing a letter to his beloved Lenore

• Talking to an imagined version of Lenore

• Reading a book of old tales and legends

• Sleeping soundly and dreaming of old tales

Answer explanation

On a cold night, at midnight, the narrator is sitting by himself, “weak and weary,” reading an old book full of “forgotten lore” and nodding off. When he is suddenly awakened by something knocking at his door, he assures himself that it’s “nothing more” than a visitor.

How does the poem present the narrator's relationship with memory?

• As a cherished treasure that the narrator holds on to

• As a burden that the narrator wishes he could escape

• As a source of comfort and inspiration for the narrator

• As a fleeting thought the narrator barely acknowledges

Answer explanation

The narrator then explains that he remembers that all this happened back in December. As the fire slowly dies, each dying ember like a “ghost,” he wishes for the night to pass so that he might escape from his sorrow over Lenore, his dead beloved. To distract himself from thinking about her, he says, he has been reading, but without success.

What does the narrator’s repetition of the phrase “nothing more” and his attempts to act normal indicate about his mental state?

• His rationality is completely intact and unaffected by his grief

• He has fully embraced the idea that he's actually still dreaming

• He is indifferent to the knocking and unmoved by irrational fears

• He is trying to mask his fear by sticking to rational explanations

Answer explanation

When the curtains rustle, the narrator is suddenly frightened. Once again he tells himself that it’s merely a visitor, and “nothing more.”Finding some measure of courage, he calls out to whoever is knocking at the door of the room, and apologizes that he was taking so long to come to the door because he was napping.

What does the narrator do when he opens the door and finds no one there?

• He quickly closes the door and hides behind the curtain

• He steps outside with a fire poker to search for the visitor

• He slams the door and quickly goes to close the shutters

• He stares into darkness and whispers his beloved's name

Answer explanation

The narrator opens the door, only to find that nobody is there. He stands at the entrance to his room, staring into the darkness, equally hopeful and fearful, “dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” He whispers “Lenore” into the darkness and hears in response only an echo – Lenore! – and “nothing more.”

How does the narrator react to the Raven's arrival?

• He crumbles in fear and feels instantly doomed

• He becomes angry that the Raven interrupted him

• He is confused but curious about the Raven's words

• 
  He instantly understands what the Raven has said

Answer explanation

Suddenly, the narrator hears a knocking at his window, and he opens it. The Raven flies in, perching atop a bust of Pallas above the door. At first, the narrator finds the bird’s “grave and stern decorum” amusing, and asks it for its name. To his bemusement, the bird responds “Nevermore.” The narrator remarks to himself that what the Raven says must be “stock and store,” words picked up by copying those from a previous master. But, unable to contain his curiosity, he grabs a velvet chair and sits directly in front of the bird, trying to understand what this “ominous bird of yore” means by “Nevermore.” All the while, he imagines that Lenore might be near.

What does the narrator initially think the "denser, perfumed" air indicates?

• The arrival of angels that will help him grieve Lenore

• The opening of a portal to a place where time stands still

• 
  The arrival of Lenore from a place of eternal enchantment

• The arrival of a malevolent spirit that will haunt him

Answer explanation

The narrator then perceives that the air has become “denser, perfumed from an unseen censer,” and says it must indicate the presence of “Seraphim,” or angels, sent from God to help him recover from his grief over losing Lenore. He wonders if he might be able to “quaff this kind nepenthe” — to forget about her entirely. The Raven, however, answers “Nevermore.”

How does the narrator interpret the word “Nevermore” from the Raven as the poem progresses?

• He continues to think it's a humorous phrase taught by a former master

• He increasingly takes the Raven seriously and is affected by its response

• He eventually dismisses it as nothing but useless and paranoid chatter

• None of the above

Answer explanation

The narrator then perceives that the air has become “denser, perfumed from an unseen censer,” and says it must indicate the presence of “Seraphim,” or angels, sent from God to help him recover from his grief over losing Lenore. He wonders if he might be able to “quaff this kind nepenthe” — to forget about her entirely. The Raven, however, answers “Nevermore.”

How does the narrator’s interaction with the Raven affect his mental state?

• It leads him to despair as he obsessively tries to interpret the bird's words

• It calms him down and helps him forget about Lenore and his intense grief

• It invigorates him and makes him feel hopeful about his future in the afterlife

• 
  It makes him realize the importance of rationality and letting go of the past

Answer explanation

Growing more anxious, the narrator asks the Raven if there is “balm in Gilead” —if heaven will give him some hope of seeing Lenore again. The bird, as usual, responds “Nevermore.” The narrator asks again if he and Lenore might meet once more “within the distant Aidenn,” or Eden, but again the bird responds “Nevermore” in response. Now furious and heartbroken, the narrator screams at the bird to return to “the Night’s Plutonian shore!” and never return. But the bird does not depart.

What does the Raven’s continuous presence on the bust of Pallas symbolize by the end of the poem?

• The narrator’s acceptance that the Raven has become his guardian

• The narrator's reduced ability to rationalize away his grief and pain

• The narrator’s triumph over his lingering doubts and fears about death

• The narrator's transition from the world of the living to the afterlife

Answer explanation

As the poem ends, the narrator is overcome by despair, while the Raven “never flitting, still is sitting” on the bust of Pallas. The narrator concludes by saying he continues to live in the bird’s inescapable shadow.