WorksheetsThe Tell Tale Heart: Story Elements Quiz
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 18mins
The narrator is driven mad because he is convinced he hears the old man's heart beating even after his death. What type of conflict is this considered?
individual vs. individual
individual vs. nature
individual vs. self
individual vs. supernatural
The sound of the heart beating throughout the story is what literary device?
simile
onomatopoeia
alliteration
rhyme
Which of the following details should be included in a summary of the story?
The narrator despised the old man's eye.
The neighbor called police after hearing a noise.
The narrator and the old man are roommates.
The narrator waited until midnight each night to sneak into the old man's room.
Which sentence describes the theme of "The Tell Tale Heart?"
Guilt can drive you to the brink of insanity.
Be careful who you trust.
Caretakers sometimes the people they are responsible for.
Which of the following is an example of an individual vs. society conflict?
The neighbors hear a scream coming from the narrator's house.
The old man's eye vexes the narrator.
The narrator confesses after his guilt overwhelms him.
The police arrive at the narrator's house to investigate a call.
The story ends with the narrator's guilt overwhelming him and he confesses. However, we do not learn what happens to him as a result. What part of the plot is arguably missing?
exposition
rising action
climax
resolution
Which of the following is a technique Poe used to create suspense in "The Tell Tale Heart?"
the beating of the heart
the police officer's senseless chatter
the use of a flashback in the story
The intensity builds in the last part of the story while the police are at the narrator's house until he breaks and confesses. The event in the story is what part of the plot?
exposition
main conflict
rising action
climax
From what point of view is this tale told?
1st
3rd
What does the heartbeat symbolize in "The Tell Tale Heart?"
the narrator's guilt
something wicked
looming death
a sense of peace
Reread the section of the story where the narrator describes the old man's eye.
I loved the old man. He had never wronged me...I think it was his eye! He had the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye with film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold.
What is the symbolic meaning of the old man's eye in "The Tell Tale Heart?"
a vulture
something evil
an eyeball
explains that he lives in a house with the old man whom he loves.
decides he should call the police and then proceeds to chit chat with them.
says he is sane, but then describes how he killed the old man and hid the body because of an eye.
confesses he is nervous at the beginning of the story.
Why is it important that the officers stay so long in the house?
to show the reader how friendly they are.
to allow the reader to characterize them as lazy.
to provide enough time for the old man's body to decompose.
to provide enough time for the narrator to become upset and confess.
By telling this story from the murderer's point of view, the author helps the reader
recognize the narrator's insanity
understand the old man's thoughts
compare both of the character's thoughts
understand why the police have come
What is the best meaning of vehemently?
“I talked more quickly – more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased.
Passionately
Blankly
Carefully
Softly
Which sentence best reveals the narrator's confidence?
"I smiled - for what had I to fear?"
"...I now grew very pale."
"...but the noise steadily increased."
"Why would they not be gone?"
This sentence is most likely used to reveal that the narrator---?
"And this I did for seven long nights--every night just at midnight--but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work..."
is unable to sleep at night.
is obsessed with the eye.
is eager to kill the old man.
is a rational man.
What character trait does the narrator convey through this sentence?
"I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle..."
intelligence
insanity
patience
cruelty
Through the narrator's experience, the author explores the idea of ---
those close to you can hurt you
something small can create a major conflict
a beating heart lasts forever
all sins should be kept a secret
