"The Fall of the House of Usher"

At the beginning of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” what does the narrator do?

• He listens to improvisations on the guitar.

• He asks the Raven if he will ever see Lenore.

• He travels to visit Roderick Usher at the Usher family home.

• He helps bury Roderick’s sister, Madeline, in a vault.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

*Read the following sentence from “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in which the narrator explains that he has received a letter from Roderick Usher. However, a letter had lately reached me in a remote part of the country, a letter from him, which, by its wildly importunate nature, admitted of no other reply than a personal one. What is the most likely reason the narrator says that the letter “admitted of no other reply than a personal one”? Base your answer on your knowledge of the story as well as the sentence.

• The narrator feels compelled to respond to his friend’s request for a visit because his friend is clearly upset.

• The narrator is worried that he will seem rude if he does not respond to the letter in person.

• The narrator expects his friend to invite him to go fishing in his award winning tarn.

• The narrator believes his friend is threatening to harm him if he does not give the right answer.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which phrase best describes Usher's mental state in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?

• cautious and silly

• happy and hopeful

• suspicious and angry

• nervous and agitated

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, what does Usher say is his greatest fear?

• to die of fear

• to be accidentally buried alive

• the death of his sister Madeline

• the collapse of his family’s house

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which of the following is the most accurate description of what happens to Madeline Usher in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?

• She dies, is buried by her brother, but then comes back to life to terrify her brother and the narrator.

• She appears to die, is mistakenly buried, but then revives and makes her way to freedom before dying.

• She pretends to die, but then emerges from her crypt to destroy the house.

• She nearly dies, recovers with the help of a doctor, but is then thrown into an underground cell by her brother.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

What is the most accurate description of the ending of "The Fall of the House of Usher"?

• During a storm, the waters of the pond surrounding the house rise until the house is submerged.

• During a storm, the barely perceptible fissure in the facade of the house widens until the house collapses.

• During a storm, Roderick Usher runs frantically, striking the house until he causes its collapse.

• During a storm, Roderick and Madeline Usher struggle so frantically that they cause the collapse of the house.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which details of the interior of the house seem to reflect Usher’s appearance and the state of his mind?

• Usher’s confused behavior is reflected in the broken mirrors.

• Usher’s self-confidence and noble behavior are reflected in his wealth and splendor.

• Usher’s advanced age and old-fashioned manners are reflected in the antique furniture.

• Usher’s physical and mental deterioration is reflected in the gloomy darkness, lack of comfort, and old, worn possessions.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher” best supports how the details of the interior of the house seem to reflect Usher’s appearance and the state of his mind?

• The room in which I found myself was very large and high.

• The general furniture was plentiful, uncomfortable, old, and worn.

• A small picture presented the interior of a vault or tunnel, immensely long and rectangular, with low, smooth, white walls, uninterrupted and without design.

• Our books, the books that, for years, had formed no small part of the mental existence of the invalid, were, as might be supposed, in keeping with this character of fantasy.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which of the following is one of Roderick Usher’s disturbing ideas?

• Usher believes his house has consciousness, like a living being.

• Usher believes his house will collapse, sliding into the pond.

• Usher believes his sister will die, even though she is healthy.

• Usher believes the narrator has held a grudge since childhood.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher” best captures the overall effect of the story?

• There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.

• Although, as boys, we had been even intimately associated, I really knew little of my friend.

• Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the structure had few appearances of instability.

• Apparently, it had been used, in remote feudal times, for the worst purposes.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4