Gothic Literature
The following is a prominent characteristic of Gothic Literature
a. Dark and eerie settings
b. Realistic narratives
c. Optimistic tone
d. Romantic Resolutions
What is a. Dark and eerie settings?
What is the state of the House of Usher when the narrator arrives?
a. Brightly lit with large windows
b. Decaying and in disrepair
c. Pristine and well-maintained
d. Modern and well-kept
What is b. Decaying and in disrepair?
Who narrates the story?
a. an unnamed narrator
b. Roderick Usher
c. Madeline Usher
d. The Butler
Who is a. an unnamed narrator?
How does Roderick Usher's appearance change throughout the story?
a. He becomes more energetic and youthful.
b. He becomes more pale, nervous, and disturbed.
c. He becomes stronger and healthier.
d. His appearance does not change.
What is b. He becomes more pale, nervous, and disturbed?
Why is this short story written in 1st person point of view?
a. Creates a sense of mystery and uncertainty within the narrator and reader
b. Enhances the psychological horror within the narrator and reader
c. Encourages reader interpretation, connection, and engagement as the characters are unreliable
d. All of the above
What is d. All of the above?
The following is a common image in Gothic Literature that often symbolizes impending doom or fear
a. Birds singing
b. Sunshine and light
c. Thunder and lightning
d. Bustling carnival season
What is c. Thunder and lightning?
What happens to the House of Usher at the end of the story?
a. It remains standing but abandoned.
b. It is taken over by new neighbors.
c. It crumbles and collapses into the tarn.
d. It burns to the ground.
What is c. It crumbles and collapses into the tarn?
Why does the narrator go to visit the House of Usher?
a. To counsel his childhood friend who is in mourning.
b. To reacquaint with a long-lost friend.
c. To respond to a letter requesting his presence.
d. To treat Madeline's unknown illness.
What is c. To respond to a letter requesting his presence?
What is the condition of Madeline Usher when she first appears in the story?
a. She is angry and hostile.
b. She is cheerful and talkative.
c. She is pale and sickly.
d. She is feverish and hallucinating.
What is c. She is pale and sickly?
Which word best establishes the mood created in the beginning of the story?
“During the whole of a dull, dark and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.
a. calm
b. disturbed
c. gloomy
d. serious
What is c. gloomy?
The following is a common theme explored in Gothic Literature
a. The triumph of love over death
b. The power of nature to heal
c. The importance of scientific discovery
d. The impact of madness, death, and the supernatural
What is d. The impact of madness, death, and the supernatural?
What significant flaw, or defect, in the front of the house does the narrator observe that foreshadows a significant event later in the story?
a. Decaying trees that outline the property
b. Fungus taking over the exterior
c. A fissure running down the center of the mansion
d. A foul smell coming from the tarn
What is c. A fissure running down the center of the mansion?
What hobby does the narrator engage with Roderick in to pass the time and lift his spirits?
a. painting and playing music
b. cooking and cleaning
c. writing and gardening
d. horseback riding and hunting
What is a. painting and playing music?
Why are the details of both Roderick’s and Madeline’s illnesses important to the development of the plot?
a. Establishes conflict through mystery: what is making them both suffer?
b. Establishes rising action through fear: will they infect the narrator?
c. Establishes falling action through suspense: will they both die?
d. All of the above
What is d. All of the above?
What is the fate of Madeline Usher?
a. She turns into a ghost and haunts the house.
b. She escapes Roderick’s imprisonment and abandons the house.
c. She dies after breaking free from her tomb and confronting Roderick.
d. She is rescued by the narrator.
What is c. She dies after breaking free from her tomb and confronting Roderick?
Who is a notable American author known for his gothic horror stories, and as the father of detective fiction?
a. Horace Walpole
b. Edgar Allan Poe
c. Julio Cortázar
d. Stephen King
Who is b. Edgar Allan Poe?
What is a tarn?
a. a barn
b. a deep underground cave
c. a type of glacier
d. a lake
What is d. a lake?
As the days pass, what effect does Roderick’s transformation have on the narrator?
a. Roderick makes the narrator paranoid, and the narrator fears leaving.
b. The narrator realizes Roderick is beyond help; therefore, he must save himself.
c. Roderick inspires the narrator to face his fears.
d. The narrator saves Madeline from Roderick and the House of Usher.
What is a. Roderick makes the narrator paranoid, and the narrator fears leaving?
What strange occurrence happens after Madeline's burial?
a. The narrator feels the house shake and crumble.
b. The narrator hears noises coming from the tomb.
c. The narrator sees Madeline's ghost wandering the halls.
d. All of the above
What is b. The narrator hears noises coming from the tomb?
What is the primary reason for Roderick Usher's declining mental state?
a. He is being slowly poisoned by his servants.
b. He has a heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli and fear of his sister's illness.
c. He has been haunted by the ghost of his ancestors.
d. He is suffering from a mysterious family curse.
What is b. He has a heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli and fear of his sister's illness?
In Gothic Literature, what intended mood is created for readers?
a. Mysterious and eerie
b. Adventurous and exciting
c. Inspirational and romantic
d. Cheerful and hopeful
What is a. Mysterious and eerie?
How does the allegory, "The Mad Trist," about a knight who is buried alive relate to “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. It is a flashback into the life Roderick used to have before he was bound to the house.
b. It foreshadows Madeline’s entombment revealing Roderick’s true intentions.
c. It symbolizes Roderick’s position within his family.
d. It supports the theme: the dangers of exploring unknown places.
What is b. It foreshadows Madeline’s entombment revealing Roderick’s true intentions?
What is the relationship between Roderick and the narrator?
a. step brothers
b. childhood friends
c. distant cousins
d. doctor and patient
What is b. childhood friends?
What does the narrator learn about the relationship between Usher and Madeline after her death?
a. They were twins; the last of the Usher lineage.
b. They weren’t actually related; he was holding her captive.
c. They were secretly married; it was an immoral relationship.
d. None of the above
What is a. They were twins; the last of the Usher lineage?
What is a major theme of The Fall of the House of Usher?
a. The power of love to overcome fear
b. The value of finding your true self
c. The dangers of traveling to unfamiliar places
d. The inescapable decline of a doomed family
What is d. The inescapable decline of a doomed family?