The Fall of the House of Usher — Questions and answers

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Why did the lone traveler ride toward the House of Usher?

Choices

  1. He was a distant relative summoned to resolve a family dispute.
  2. He was a surveyor hired to assess the structural integrity of the house.
  3. Roderick Usher, a boyhood friend, had sent an urgent letter requesting his company. ✓
  4. He was a physician called to treat Roderick Usher's illness.

Answer: Roderick Usher, a boyhood friend, had sent an urgent letter requesting his company.

From page 1

What unusual detail did the narrator observe on the exterior of the House of Usher?

Choices

  1. A faint crack ran in a zigzag from the roof down the front wall into the tarn. ✓
  2. The entire house was covered in blooming ivy.
  3. The windows were all boarded shut from the inside.
  4. A new addition had been built onto one side of the original structure.

Answer: A faint crack ran in a zigzag from the roof down the front wall into the tarn.

From page 2

Who did the narrator encounter on the staircase of the House of Usher?

Choices

  1. Lady Madeline was slowly ascending the stairs.
  2. A group of musicians was carrying instruments to a performance.
  3. Roderick Usher's manservant was descending with a tray.
  4. A man he took for the family physician hurried past him. ✓

Answer: A man he took for the family physician hurried past him.

From page 3

What physical characteristic of Roderick Usher most struck the narrator upon their reunion at the House of Usher?

Choices

  1. He had gained a significant amount of weight.
  2. His hair had turned completely white.
  3. His face was cadaverously pale, and his eyes were unnaturally large and luminous. ✓
  4. He had grown a long, unkempt beard.

Answer: His face was cadaverously pale, and his eyes were unnaturally large and luminous.

From page 4

What did Roderick Usher believe about the Usher family lineage?

Choices

  1. The family had a tradition of adopting heirs from outside the bloodline.
  2. The family had never put out a lasting branch, passing inheritance directly from father to son. ✓
  3. The family had recently intermarried with a prominent local family.
  4. The family was known for its large and sprawling extended network of relatives.

Answer: The family had never put out a lasting branch, passing inheritance directly from father to son.

From page 5

What was the title of one of the ballads Roderick Usher sang while playing his guitar?

Choices

  1. 'The Haunted Palace' ✓
  2. 'The Tarn's Reflection'
  3. 'The Crumbling Walls'
  4. 'The Fading Lineage'

Answer: 'The Haunted Palace'

From page 6

What news did Roderick Usher share with the narrator about his sister, Madeline, at the House of Usher?

Choices

  1. She had recovered from her illness and was leaving the house.
  2. She had decided to marry and move to a distant city.
  3. She had begun to compose music of her own.
  4. She had died and would be laid in a vault beneath the house due to her illness. ✓

Answer: She had died and would be laid in a vault beneath the house due to her illness.

From page 7

What detail did the narrator notice about Lady Madeline's appearance before her coffin was sealed in the House of Usher?

Choices

  1. A strange, lingering trace of color in her cheeks and lips. ✓
  2. Her eyes were partially open.
  3. A faint smile on her lips.
  4. A small, silver locket clutched in her hand.

Answer: A strange, lingering trace of color in her cheeks and lips.

From page 8

What did Roderick Usher shout during the storm, convinced of a terrible event?

Choices

  1. That intruders had broken into the house.
  2. That they had entombed Lady Madeline alive. ✓
  3. That the house was collapsing around them.
  4. That a fire had started in the lower levels.

Answer: That they had entombed Lady Madeline alive.

From page 9

What happened to the House of Usher as the narrator fled?

Choices

  1. The mighty walls came rushing apart, and the tarn closed over its fragments. ✓
  2. It was enveloped by a thick, impenetrable fog.
  3. It was struck by lightning and immediately caught fire.
  4. It slowly sank into the ground without a trace.

Answer: The mighty walls came rushing apart, and the tarn closed over its fragments.

From page 10