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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is on the scrap of paper Edmund finds in Mrs. Whitman's house?
(a) It is a message to Dupin.
(b) It is a message to Mrs. Whitman.
(c) It is a message from Edmund's sister.
(d) It is unreadable.

2. What two things does this novel incorporate?
(a) Magic and realism.
(b) Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot as characters.
(c) Police work and amateur sleuthing.
(d) Poe's literary methodology and Poe as a fictional character.

3. What is Edmund's sister's real name?
(a) Sissy.
(b) Not revealed.
(c) Margaret.
(d) Catherine.

4. After Edmund returns home at the beginning of the story, what is his most pressing goal?
(a) Find more food.
(b) Find his aunt.
(c) Find his mother.
(d) Find his sister.

5. When Edmund sees the corpse at the docks, at the beginning of the story, who does he identify her as?
(a) His father.
(b) His aunt.
(c) His sister.
(d) His mother.

Short Answer Questions

1. After Edmund's room is ransacked, what does Edmund tell Dupin about his stepfather, Mr. Rachett?

2. When they first meet, in exchange for Edmund's help, what does Dupin agree to do?

3. Who is Throck?

4. What type of man does Edmund meet on his way home in the prologue?

5. The prologue introduces the reader to all of the following EXCEPT _____.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Edmund continues to trust Dupin, even after reading in Dupin's notebook in Chapter Nine that Dupin thinks his story should end with Sis' death?

2. What can the reader deduce about the real-life Poe from part one of the novel?

3. Why do you think Poe chooses to go by the name of his fictional detective?

4. Do you think the story would be as effective if it were set in a different time period?

5. Based on the prologue, what do you think is the author's opinion of Poe as a writer?

6. Why do you think the author sets up the prologue so that all of Edmund's female family members are missing?

7. How do you think the character Dupin reflects the real-life Poe?

8. Do you think there is any significance to the author's choice of the name "Edmund"?

9. What is the significance of the fact that both Edmund and Dupin have an important person in their lives whom they call Sis?

10. How does the setting reflect Edmund's emotional state?

(see the answer keys)

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