Sample Reading Questions
Literary Prose: Taken from "The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe
1True!-nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! But why will
you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses-not destroyed-not
dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven
and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe
5how healthily-how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
It is impossible to tell how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it
haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the
old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had
no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a
10vulture-a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood
ran cold; and so by degrees-very gradually-I made up my mind to take the life of
the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should
have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded-with what caution-
15with what foresight-with what dissimulation I went to work!
I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And
every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it-oh, so gently!
And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern,
all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you
20would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly-very,
very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place
my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed.
Ha!-would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well
in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously-cautiously (for the
25hinges creaked)-I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture
eye. 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; for it was not the old
man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went
boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a
30hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would have
been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I
looked in upon him while he slept.
Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's
minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the
extent of my own powers-of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of
35triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even
to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he
heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I
drew back-but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the
shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not
40see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the
tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out: "Who's there?"
I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the
meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening;-just
45as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.
1. According to the narrator, what was his reason for wanting to kill the old man?
A. The man had wronged him in the past.
B. He wanted to get his hands on the man's money.
C. He believed the man intended to harm him.
D. He was very disturbed by the man's eye.
2. Based on lines 16-32, it is most reasonable to assume that the old man:
A. had no idea the narrator intended to kill him.
B. knew the narrator was up to something.
C. usually went to bed very late.
D. was planning to do something to the narrator.
3. As used in line 13, the word fancy most nearly means:
A. decorative
B. desire
C. think
D. like
4. At what point does the narrator shine the light of the lantern on the old man?
A. Immediately after the old man went to bed
B. Immediately after he opened the old man's door
C. Immediately after he stuck his head into the old man's room
D. Immediately after he inquired how the old man had slept
5. Based on the information presented in lines 35-45, it is reasonable to assume that on the eighth night:
A. The old man felt uneasy and suspicious.
B. The narrator no longer cared about being discovered.
C. The narrator decided not to kill the old man.
D. The old man thought somebody had broken into his house.
Answer Key:
1. Correct Answer: D
Explanation: The narrator wanted to kill the old man because he was very disturbed by the man's eye. This is stated directly in the passage when the narrator states: "I think it was his eye! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture-a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold."
2. Correct Answer: A
Explanation: If we are basing the conclusion on lines 16 through 32 only, it is reasonable to assume that the old man had no idea the narrator intended to kill him. The narrator states he was kind to the old man, and that he was very careful not to wake the man when he entered his room. The author reveals that concept specifically in the following line: "So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept." In this context, the word "profound" can be taken to mean "aware" of the killer's premeditated plan.
3. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Although all of the answer choices are possible meanings of fancy, only C makes sense in the context of the sentence. Based on everything the narrator has revealed about himself, it's likely the reader would think he was mad. A makes the sentence grammatically incorrect; B is wrong because it's not likely the reader would want the narrator to be mad; and D is an unsuitable choice because it's not probable the reader would like the narrator to be mad.
4. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: C is the correct choice. The passage states that "And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously-cautiously (for the hinges creaked)-I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye."
5. Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Based on the information presented in these lines, the most reasonable conclusion is that the old man felt uneasy and suspicious. The narrator describes him as stirring from his bed, calling out to ask who was there, and sitting up in his bed for some time while he listened for sounds. These are all characteristic behaviours of somebody who is uneasy and/or suspicious. The narrator was careful not to be seen, so B is incorrect. There is no reason to conclude that the narrator no longer wanted to kill the man, making C an unsuitable choice. D is a reasonable possibility, but there is nothing presented in the passage to suggest this, making A the best answer choice.