Comprehension
9-10.RL.KID.1
9-10.RL.KID.1
At the beginning of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” what does the narrator do?
a. He listens to Roderick Usher’s improvisations on the guitar.
b. He travels with Roderick Usher to visit Usher’s family home.
c. He travels to visit Roderick Usher at Usher’s family home.
d. He helps Roderick Usher bury Roderick’s sister Madeline in a vault.
c. He travels to visit Roderick Usher at Usher’s family home.
If a storm were to annihilate a building, which of the following would most likely be the result?
a. The building would have part of its roof torn off.
b. The building would have damage but would remain intact.
c. The building would be reduced to small fragments.
d. The building would be removed from its foundation.
c. The building would be reduced to small fragments.
Read the following sentence from “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in which the narrator explains that he has received a letter from Roderick Usher.
A letter, however, had lately reached me in a distant part of the country—a letter from him—which, in its wildly importunate nature, had admitted of no other than a personal reply.
What is the most likely reason the narrator says the letter “admitted of no other than a personal reply”? Base your answer on your knowledge of the story as well as on the sentence.
a. The narrator feels obliged to respond to his friend’s request for a visit because his friend is clearly upset.
b. The narrator is worried that it will seem rude if he does not answer the letter in a personal way.
c. The narrator hopes his friend will invite him to stay in the distant part of the country where his friend lives.
d. The narrator believes that his friend is threatening to harm him if he does not give the right answer.
a. The narrator feels obliged to respond to his friend’s request for a visit because his friend is clearly upset.
Part A Which of the following is a defining element of Gothic literature that is clearly illustrated by “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. believable characters and settings
b. weird or otherworldly occurrences
c. a narrator who is also a character in the story
d. a contrast between rational and irrational characters
b. weird or otherworldly occurrences
BONUS: First team to provide evidence from the text to support this answer gets points.
Select the answer choice in which a dependent clause is underlined.
a. Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be the inventor of the detective story.
b. Writers all over the world have imitated his tales of mystery and supernatural events.
c. He earned his living as a writer, but he was in financial difficulties for most of his short life.
d. Though the cause of Poe’s death is unknown, many believe that poor health and habits were probably the main factors.
c. He earned his living as a writer, but he was in financial difficulties for most of his short life.
Which phrase best describes Usher’s state of mind in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. cautious and glum
b. dull and depressed
c. suspicious and miserable
d. nervous and agitated
b. dull and depressed
Which of the following would most likely be considered an antiquity?
a. a vase from ancient times
b. a rusty piece of jewelry
c. a house built in the 1950s
d. a logbook from a space shuttle
a. a vase from ancient times
Which excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher” best captures the story’s overall effect?
a. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.
b. Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my friend.
c. Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability.
d. It had been used, apparently, in remote feudal times, for the worst purposes of a donjon-keep, and, in later days, as a place of deposit for powder….
a. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.
BONUS BULL QUESTION!
What is the complete date of Mr. Bull's birthday?
May 31, 1988
Select the complex sentence.
a. Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, while they delight the imagination, also challenge one’s intelligence.
b. Poe’s writing style is considered dense and challenging by many of today’s readers.
c. Still, most young people like his tales of horror, and some stories have been made into popular movies.
d. Have you seen the movie House of Usher or another film called The Haunted Palace?
a. Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, while they delight the imagination, also challenge one’s intelligence.
In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” what does Usher say is his biggest fear?
a. being frightened to death
b. being accidentally buried alive
c. the death of his sister Madeline
d. the collapse of his family’s house
a. being frightened to death
Which of the following is the best example of a tumultuous event?
a. a foggy night that hides the moon
b. a drought that causes crops to wither and die
c. a storm so loud that it is hard to hear others speaking
d. a winter night so cold that snow freezes into ice
c. a storm so loud that it is hard to hear others speaking
In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which details of the house’s interior seem to reflect Usher’s appearance and the condition of his mind?
a. Usher’s confused behavior is reflected in the broken mirrors.
b. Usher’s self-assurance and noble manner is reflected in its wealth and splendor.
c. Usher’s advanced age and old-fashioned ways are reflected in the ancient furnishings.
d. Usher’s physical and mental deterioration is reflected in the gloomy darkness, lack of comfort, and old, worn-out possessions.
d. Usher’s physical and mental deterioration is reflected in the gloomy darkness, lack of comfort, and old, worn-out possessions.
BONUS: First team to provide evidence from the text to support this answer gets points.
Which of the following is a defining element of Gothic literature that is clearly illustrated by “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. believable characters and settings
b. weird or otherworldly occurrences
c. a narrator who is also a character in the story
d. a contrast between rational and irrational characters
b. weird or otherworldly occurrences
BONUS: First team to provide evidence from the text to support this answer gets points.
BONUS BULL QUESTION!
Which two colleges has Mr. Bull gotten a degree from?
Tennessee Tech University
Tennessee State University
Which of the following is the most accurate description of what happens to Madeline Usher in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. She dies, is buried by her brother, but then returns to life to terrorize her brother and the narrator.
b. She appears to die, is mistakenly entombed, but then revives and forces her way to freedom before dying.
c. She pretends to die, is taken for dead and is buried, but then emerges from her crypt to destroy the house.
d. She nearly dies, recovers through a doctor’s help, but then is thrown into an underground cell by her brother.
b. She appears to die, is mistakenly entombed, but then revives and forces her way to freedom before dying.
The wrestler faced his adversary in the ring.
In which of these answer choices does the underlined word have a denotation and a connotation closest to the denotation and the connotation of adversary?
a. Keisha’s foe on the student council was Joe, who voted against every suggestion she made.
b. The United Nations can serve as an arbiter between nations when they are in disagreement.
c. The hurricane was a natural catastrophe on the island, damaging several homes and a hotel.
d. Sofía’s strongest competitor in the race is Ashley, who logged a very fast time last year.
d. Sofía’s strongest competitor in the race is Ashley, who logged a very fast time last year.
BONUS BULL QUESTION!
What is Mr. Bull's full name?
Joshua Leigh Cody Bull
"The impetuous fury of the entering gust nearly lifted us from our feet. It was, indeed, a tempestuous yet sternly beautiful night, and one wildly singular in its terror and its beauty.… —yet we had no glimpse of the moon or stars, … But the under surfaces of the huge masses of agitated vapor, as well as all terrestrial objects immediately around us, were glowing in the unnatural light of a faintly luminous and distinctly visible gaseous exhalation which hung about and enshrouded the mansion."
In what way is this excerpt most clearly characteristic of Gothic literature?
a. The description is dramatic. The setting described is eerie.
b. The description is detailed. The setting described is stormy.
c. The description is dramatic. The setting described has wild beauty.
d. The description is detailed. The setting described is filled with light.
a. The description is dramatic. The setting described is eerie.
BONUS:
Which most clearly is the intended effect of the excerpt in Part A?
a. to help readers understand why a disaster will soon occur
b. to help readers sympathize with a character who is going mad
c. to create a mood of terror
d. to create a mood of enthusiasm
Select the compound-complex sentence.
a. Poe also wrote poems that cover a wide range of human emotions, including love, joy, and intense sorrow.
b. For example, he wrote “Annabel Lee,” a tender love poem dedicated to his deceased and beloved wife.
c. “The Raven,” a long poem by Poe, has the melancholy, pessimistic tone of his short stories, but it is one of his most popular works.
d. He also wrote a poem that he entitled “The Bells” because the words in the verse imitate the sounds of different kinds of bells, and the poem has become a popular piece to be read aloud by a chorus.
d. He also wrote a poem that he entitled “The Bells” because the words in the verse imitate the sounds of different kinds of bells, and the poem has become a popular piece to be read aloud by a chorus.
Which is the most accurate description of the ending of the “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. During a storm, the waters of the tarn surrounding the house rise until the house is submerged.
b. During a storm, the barely perceptible fissure in the façade of the house widens until the house collapses.
c. During a storm, Roderick Usher madly rushes about striking at the house until he causes its collapse.
d. During a storm, Roderick and Madeline Usher struggle so madly that they cause the collapse of the house.
b. During a storm, the barely perceptible fissure in the façade of the house widens until the house collapses.
Malik bought his mother some flowers, and she enjoyed their fragrance.
In which of these answer choices does the underlined word have the same denotation as fragrance but a clearly opposite connotation?
a. Arjun knew from the stench of the leftovers that it was time to clean the refrigerator.
b. Melanie breathed in the aroma of freshly baked bread as she walked past the bakery.
c. Dion used a new spice when he made dinner for his family, and they praised the flavor.
d. Freddie agrees that the interior of a new car has a special odor, but he does not like it.
a. Arjun knew from the stench of the leftovers that it was time to clean the refrigerator.
Part A In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which of the following is one of Roderick Usher’s disturbing ideas?
a. Usher believes that his house has awareness, like a living thing.
b. Usher believes that his house will fall apart, sliding into the tarn.
c. Usher believes that his sister will die, even though she is healthy.
d. Usher believes that the narrator has held a grudge, ever since boyhood.
a. Usher believes that his house has awareness, like a living thing.
BONUS: First team to provide evidence from the text to support this answer gets points.
Which aspects of Roderick Usher’s character most clearly illustrate elements of Gothic literature? Choose two options.
a. Roderick is an accomplished musician.
b. Roderick has a twin sister with whom he lives.
c. Roderick fears that unnatural forces control his home.
d. Roderick and his sister are the last living members of their family.
e. Roderick lives in a gloomy ancestral home far from populated areas.
f. Roderick reads specialized books and has unique theories about the world.
c. Roderick fears that unnatural forces control his home.
e. Roderick lives in a gloomy ancestral home far from populated areas.
BONUS BULL QUESTION!
Mr. Bull's favorite soccer team, Arsenal FC, has a nickname. What is it?
The Gunners