WorksheetsGothic Literature Review
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 13mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
When does the story “Where Is Here?” take place?
a)
on a snowy day at a hillside cottage
b)
on a chilly, damp evening at sunset
c)
late on a breezy afternoon in summertime
d)
early in the morning, just before sunrise
2.
At the beginning of the story, the father invites the stranger in. Instead the stranger says he would prefer to…
a)
Just look around outside
b)
meet the man’s children
c)
take photographs of the house
d)
Sit on the basement stairs
3.
What makes the stranger burst into tears?
a)
Seeing the basement
b)
Sitting on the old, rotting swing set
c)
The father touching his shoulder
d)
Touching the cushion of the window seat
4.
At the end of “Where Is Here?” what effect has the stranger’s visit had on the family?
a)
It has caused the family sad and tired
b)
It has left the children excited and curious about math
c)
It has caused the father and mother to get into a physical altercation
d)
It has left the father and mother grateful and appreciative of their lives
5.
The father was described as gregarious at the beginning of the text which means (Where is Here?)
a)
foolish
b)
welcoming, sociable
c)
bitter
d)
calm, reserved
6.
The stranger mentions that this place seemed more comfortable and had blooming flowers, which this room in his childhood was “controlled.”
a)
Kitchen
b)
Living room
c)
Basement
d)
the son’s bedroom
7.
Which detail best supports that the stranger is actually a ghost.
a)
He mentions the flowers in the kitchen
b)
He left wearing all black
c)
When he turned into the light, his face was shrunken and pale
d)
He makes a reference to being dead
8.
Read the following sentences from the last part of “Where Is Here?”
“In the living room he [the father] saw that the lights were flickering as if on the brink of going out; the patterned wallpaper seemed drained of color; a shadow lay upon it shaped like a bulbous cloud or growth. “
Which of the following best explains what is taking place in this passage?
a)
The father is changing his opinion about the stranger.
b)
The father is recalling how the living room has always appeared.
c)
The father is beginning to understand the stranger’s difficult childhood
d)
The father is detecting an otherworldly, unreal, and frightening presence.
9.
Part A: The stranger in “Where Is Here?” mentions his mother several times. Which of the following statements describes how he most likely felt about his mother while he was growing up?
a)
In his childhood the stranger was afraid of his mother
b)
In his childhood the stranger did not know his mother.
c)
In his childhood the stranger often fought with his mother.
d)
In his childhood the stranger and his mother were very close.
10.
Part B Which of the following excerpts from “Where Is Here?” best supports the answer to Part A?
a)
As if embarrassed, he said, “Mother too had plants on this windowsill but I don’t recall them ever blooming.”
b)
“And Mother sat there,” he said, merely pointing. “I don’t recall my own place or my sister’s but I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
c)
“Sometimes Mother would join me, if she was in the mood, and we’d plot together—oh, all sorts of fantastical things!”
d)
Hurriedly she said, “Is your mother still living, Mr. … ?” “Oh no. Not at all,” the stranger said, rising abruptly from the window seat….
11.
The window seat in the house seemed to be a place of refuge for the stranger because
a)
The father was abusive
b)
The mother was never home
c)
The sister had recently died
d)
The boy lived alone and was frightened often
12.
The area of the house that most closely relates to an aspect of typical Gothic structures is:
a)
The boy’s bedroom
b)
The basement
c)
The window seat
d)
The kitchen
13.
The author of this story published it as political upheaval in _____________ was taking place and citizens were choosing sides.
a)
Argentina
b)
Chile
c)
Brazil
d)
Mexico
14.
Part A: What can you infer about the brother and sister’s economic status in “House Taken Over”?
a)
They have few possessions
b)
They rely on friends to support them.
c)
They rent rooms to strangers to earn extra money.
d)
They have plenty of money to live comfortably.
15.
Part B: Which of the following excerpts from “House Taken Over” best supports the inference made in Part A?
a)
It was pleasant to take lunch and commune with the great hollow, silent house….
b)
One day I found that the drawer at the bottom of the chiffonier, replete with mothballs, was filled with shawls, white, green, lilac.
c)
We didn’t have to earn our living, there was plenty coming in from the farms each month, even piling up.
d)
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.
16.
T/F - The brother and sister are bitter that their lives contain little meaning or purpose.
a)
True
b)
False
17.
How do the siblings act when they are awake vs. asleep?
a)
There is no difference as the text describes them as “peacefully sedate” at all times.
b)
They are much more restless at night yet calm during the day.
c)
They are restless and on edge during the day, yet calm at night.
d)
They are fitful, edgy and paranoid both during the day and at night.
18.
Part A: Which option is the best statement of one of the main ideas in “House Taken Over”?
a)
Each time people avoid confronting their fear, they lose a little more of themselves, until, finally, they have lost everything.
b)
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.
c)
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.
d)
People who do not build relationships with outsiders will regret this decision, because eventually they will need the support of others, and it will be too late
19.
Part B: Which excerpt from the story best supports the answer to Part A?
a)
We liked the house because … it kept the memories of great-grandparents, our paternal grandfather, our parents and the whole of childhood.
b)
Irene and I got used to staying in the house by ourselves, which was crazy, eight people could have lived in that place and not have gotten in each other’s way.
c)
Irene never bothered anyone. Once the morning housework was finished, she spent the rest of the day on the sofa in her bedroom, knitting.
d)
“I had to shut the door to the passage. They’ve taken over the back part.”… “In that case,” she said, picking up her needles again, “we’ll have to live on this side.”
20.
Which of the following is not characteristic of women in Gothic literature
a)
Sickly
b)
Like a “damsel in distress”
c)
Overpowered by men
d)
Mentally superior
21.
Which of the following would not be an example of a Gothic setting?
a)
A Castle
b)
A home with a secret door
c)
A brightly painted farmhouse
d)
A secluded forest pathway
22.
A gothic protagonist is usually described as being __________
a)
Emotionally strong
b)
Large in stature
c)
Alone
d)
Deeply ambitious
23.
T/F - Decay in gothic literature can only apply to the physical destruction of a building.
a)
True
b)
False
24.
Which of the following Gothic elements applies to the Stranger in “Where is Here?”
a)
Reveals the trap door hidden in the boy’s bedroom
b)
Tells the family of a mysterious illness he had while in the house
c)
Shows up alone on a cool November night
d)
Shows the family a picture of his ailing sister
25.
Emotions run high in Gothic Literature. In “House Taken Over” the emotions of the characters are at their height when
a)
The characters are sleeping
b)
The characters are cleaning
c)
The characters are knitting and reading during the day.
100 %
