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Themes and Irony in 'House Taken Over'

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
What best describes the central theme of 'House Taken Over'?
a)
Greed always leads to destruction.
b)
Change and loss are part of life, even when we resist them.
c)
You shouldn't run away from fear.
d)
Family ties are stronger than fear.
2.
What is the most likely reason the siblings never fight back against whatever is 'taking over' the house?
a)
They are lazy.
b)
They trust the intruders.
c)
They are paralyzed by fear and habit.
d)
They are waiting for help.
3.
What does the house most likely symbolize?
a)
Government control
b)
A person's mind or comfort zone
c)
The working class
d)
The supernatural world
4.
What does the story suggest about comfort and complacency?
a)
People who avoid change can lose what matters most.
b)
Fear always leads to courage.
c)
Society rewards passivity.
d)
Happiness comes from stability.
5.
Which is an example of situational irony in 'House Taken Over'?
a)
The siblings expect to be freed, but instead lose their home.
b)
The house is large but empty.
c)
The siblings are scared of noises at night.
d)
The house gets cleaner each day.
6.
Which type of irony happens when the audience knows something the characters do not?
a)
Verbal irony
b)
Situational irony
c)
Dramatic irony
d)
Cosmic irony
7.
In 'House Taken Over,' the siblings' calm acceptance of losing their home is ironic.
a)
True
b)
False
8.
What detail best builds suspense in 'House Taken Over'?
a)
The long descriptions of furniture
b)
The unexplained noises from the other side of the house
c)
The letters from family members
d)
The quiet dinners
9.
How does CortÃzar create tension in the story?
a)
By revealing everything at once
b)
By keeping the 'intruders' mysterious
c)
By making the narrator untrustworthy
d)
By using humor
10.
Why does the author never explain who or what takes over the house?
a)
To keep readers confused
b)
To emphasize imagination and fear of the unknown
c)
Because it doesn't matter to the theme
d)
To show the narrator’s dishonesty
11.
The mystery in 'House Taken Over' makes the theme about losing control more powerful.
a)
True
b)
False
12.
What theme is shared by 'House Taken Over' and 'A Sound of Thunder'?
a)
The danger of ignoring consequences
b)
The importance of family loyalty
c)
The power of wealth
d)
The comfort of home
13.
Which literary element is most responsible for the eerie mood in 'House Taken Over'?
a)
Tone
b)
Figurative language
c)
Setting and author's choices
d)
Dialogue
14.
What lesson might both stories teach about control and power?
a)
Humans can always control outcomes.
b)
Trying to control everything often leads to losing it.
c)
Fear is always justified.
d)
Rules protect against chaos.
15.

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 my bedroom. Too late now.


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

narrator and his sister?

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

It is terrifying enough to make them forget valued possessions

16.

In "House Taken Over," which of the following details most clearly suggest that the narrator and his sister are nervous and afraid? Choose two options.

a)

They intentionally stop thinking.

b)

They occupy themselves by cleaning.

c)

They prefer to spend time in their rooms

d)

They often cannot fall asleep and have trouble sleeping peacefully.

e)

They collect French literature and reorder their father's stamp collection.

17.

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

a)

Sleeping

b)

Knitting

c)

Shopping

d)

Cleaning

e)

Harvesting Crops

18.

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.


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 take in boarders to earn extra money.

d)

They have enough money to live comfortably

19.

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

20.

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?

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

It is terrifying enough to make them forget valued possessions.