The Tell- Tale Heart Study Guide – Flashcards

in the opening sentences the narrator insists he is not mad but rather what? A) Nervous B) Scared C) Happy D) Jaded

Which of the narrator's senses have become acute? A) Sight B) Touch C) Hearing D) Smell

How does the narrator account for this overly acute sense? A) He was born with it B) He had some disease C) He was in an accident D) He had an acute sensory implant installed

What does he mean when he says, "passion there was none."? A) He no longer could feel love B) He did not feel anger toward the old man C) It came to him in a dream D) The old man no longer was his friend

What was it about the old man that the narrator was obsessed? A) THe way he walked up the stairs B) His stale breath C) His loud, rattling snores D) His pale eye

When the narrator says, he proceeded wisely and with foresight, what is he trying to prove? A) That he is sane; a madman would not be able to do that B) That the old man really was on to his plan and he had to be very careful C) He wouldn't get paid by his contact if he didn't do the job properly D) THat he really did not want to kill the old man

HOw many nights did the narrator enter the old man's chamber before killing him? A) Five, and killed him on the sixth night B) SIx, then killed him two nights later C) Seven, and killed him the eighth D) Eight and killed him on the ninth

WHy didn't he kill the old man on the very first night he entered the room ? A) Because the old man wasn't asleep B) Because the old man wasn't in bed C) Because the eye was closed D) Because the mouth was closed

How did the narrator treat the old man in the days leading up to his death? A) He completely ignored him B) He treated him his usual manner C) He brought him special gifts D) He spoke to him every day in a hearty tone

To what does the narrator compare the speed with which he crept into the old man's chamber on the night that he killed him? A) WIth the pace of a snail B) Like that of a rabbit on a hung C) The minute hand on a watch D) The speed of a lightning bolt

What object in the story symbolizes the narrator's guilty conscience? A) The sound of the beating heart B) The old man's pale blue eye C) The clock striking midnight D) The chair that he sits on talking to the police

What sound alerted the old man that someone was peeking in at his door? A) A telephone rang B) The latch on a lantern creaked C) The narrator coughed D) He heard footsteps on the floorboards

When does the narrator first hear the beating of the heart? A) Just as the light fell on the old man's eye B) When he was a young child C) Just as he replaced the last floorboard D) When the police arrived

Why did the police show up? A) They were just making their rounds B) Someone had called in a tip C) They were soliciting for donations D) Someone reported hearing a shriek

What time did the narrator finish the burial? A) 4:00 in the morning B) Midnight C) He didn't, the police caught him before he finished D) The next day

When talking to the police, where did the narrator set his chair? A) In the old man's bedroom B) Over the place where he had buried the body C) Nearest to the window D) Close to the door so he could escape

Why did the narrator "admit the deed" to the police? A) So they wouldn't "torture" it out of him B) They offered him a "deal" C) To stop the "Beating of his hideous heart" D) None of the above