House Taken Over by Julio Cortazar

In "House Taken Over," what do the narrator and his sister do when the back section of the house is taken over?

• They sell the house and move away.

• They call the police and file a report.

• They move into the other part of the house.

• They open the gate and clear out the other rooms.

Which of the following excerpts from "House Taken Over" best supports the inference made in Part A?

• It was pleasant to take lunch and commune with the great hollow, silent house. . . .
  

• One day I found that the drawer at the bottom of the chiffonier, replete with mothballs, was filled with shawls, white, green, lilac.

• We didn’t have to earn our living, there was plenty coming in from the farms each month, even piling up.

• Only a corridor with its massive oak door separated that part from the front wing, where there was a bath, the kitchen, our bedrooms and the hall.

Close Read: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

Read the following quotation from near the end of "House Taken Over."

We had what we had on. I remembered fifteen thousand pesos in the wardrobe in mybedroom. Too late now.

What does this detail suggest about the force or creature that has invaded the house of the

narrator and his sister?

• It is greedy and wants to steal everything it can find in their luxurious home.

• It is interested only in people who are rich or greedy.

• It is powerful, so they distract its attention by leaving items behind.

• It is terrifying enough to make them forget valued possessions.

Close Read: Analyze the Text Identify the choice that best answers the question. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A Which option is the best statement of one of the main ideas in “House Taken Over”?

• Each time people avoid confronting their fears, they lose a little more of themselves, until finally they have lost everything.

• People who live in large homes lose track of how much space they have; the space becomes meaningless and soon they no longer need it at all.

• Some people have many belongings and do not seem to care, but when they lose everything, they realize how important those belongings were to them.

• People who do not build relationships with outsiders will regret this decision, because eventually they will need the support of others, but it will be too late.

Which of the following best describes the setting of "House Taken Over"?

• A dirty, creepy haunted house

• An old, spacious mansion

• A regular house in a middle-class neighborhood

• The streets of Buenos Aires

What is the narrative tone of “House Taken Over” that contributes to the magical realism of the story?

• matter-of-fact (little emotion)

• sentimental (emotional)

• tense (stressed)

• humorous (funny)

What is the narrative tone of “House Taken Over” that contributes most clearly to the magical realism of the story?

• humorous even when describing sad events

• matter-of-fact even when describing mysterious events

• sentimental even when describing meaningless events

• tense even when describing ordinary events

How are the houses similar in “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “House Taken Over”?

• Both are very ordinary homes.

• Both are located in urban areas.

• Both have long been in the owners’ families.

• Both have several residents who live there.

Which of the following words best describes the mood, or overall feeling, established in "House Taken Over"?

• violent

• creepy

• hopeful

• lonely

At the beginning of "House Taken Over," how do the narrator and his sister Irene spend most of their days? .

• cleaning

• shopping

• sleeping

• harvesting crops

• visiting with friends