Reading Quiz: "The Fall of the House of Usher"

Why does the narrator travel to the House of Usher?

• He is a doctor sent to treat Madeline.

• He is interested in purchasing the property.

• He received a desperate letter from his old friend, Roderick.

• He is a historian studying the Usher family lineage.

Upon first seeing the house, what specific feature does the narrator notice that runs from the roof down to the tarn?

• A large, ornate balcony

• A barely perceptible fissure, or crack

• A series of strange carvings

• A large, discolored water stain

Roderick and Madeline Usher are the last living members of their family. What is their relationship to each other?

• Husband and wife

• Father and daughter

• Distant cousins

• They are twins

Roderick Usher suffers from a "morbid acuteness of the senses." Which of the following is an example of his condition mentioned in the story?

• He can only eat spicy food.

• He can see clearly in the dark.

• He can only wear certain textures of fabric.

• He can hear sounds from far away.

What is the nature of Madeline Usher’s illness?

• A respiratory illness that makes it difficult to breathe.

• A disease of the mind that causes vivid hallucinations.

• A cataleptical condition that causes seizures and a death-like trance.

• A contagious fever that has weakened her entire body.

Besides reading, what do the narrator and Roderick do to pass the time?

• Play chess and go for long walks.

• Paint abstract art and play strange music on the guitar.

• Study ancient history and astronomy.

• Write poetry and practice fencing.

During his time in the house, the narrator learns of Roderick's "peculiar" belief about the Usher mansion. What is this theory?

• That the house is haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors who are causing his illness.

• That his illness is a family curse that has no physical cause.

• That the house itself, along with the fungi and stones, has its own form of consciousness and is influencing him.

• That the narrator's arrival has brought a new sickness into the house.

After Madeline’s supposed death, what do Roderick and the narrator do with her body?

• They bury it in the family graveyard next to the house.

• They place it in a temporary tomb in a vault beneath the house.

• They have it sent away to a distant city for a proper burial.

• They cremate it in a large ceremony.

While looking at Madeline in her coffin, what does the narrator notice that is strange about her appearance?

• She has a faint smile and a blush on her cheeks.

• She appears much older than he remembered.

• She is clutching a small, silver locket.

• A single tear is rolling down her face.

What is the title of the story the narrator reads to Roderick during the storm to calm him down?

• "The Haunted Palace"

• "The Conqueror Worm"

• "The Mad Trist"

• "The City in the Sea"