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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Dupin and Throck's first meeting, what does Throck tell Dupin he has been hired to do?

2. Who is Fortnoy?

3. How does Edmund get home with the food for himself and his sister?

4. When Edmund and Mrs. Whitman first meet, what does Mrs. Whitman ask Edmund about Dupin?

5. What does Dupin find in the bank vault?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Dupin is so obsessed with death?

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

3. Why do you think the author chose not to reveal Sis's true name?

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

5. What is the significance of the absence of adults in the Prologue?

6. What did Edgar Allan Poe do in his mystery stories that no one had done before, and how does this impact future mystery writers?

7. When Edmund sees Dupin asleep, surrounded by empty liquor bottles, in Chapter Three, what conflict does it bring about it Edmund's thinking?

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

9. Do you think Edmund should have stopped to help the old man before returning home?

10. What do you think is Dupin's primary motivation for helping Edmund?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How many mysteries are there in this novel? How do they overlap? Analyze how the clues for solving each mystery are necessary for solving the others.

Essay Topic 2

Keeping in mind that this novel is a work of fiction, do you agree with Poe when he tells Edmund that Sis would have "lived longer" in his story than she could in reality? Do you think Poe himself has in a sense lived longer because of his presence in this novel?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think the characters frequently think they see ghosts throughout the novel? What do the ghosts symbolize? What is the significance of the fact that these characters generally realize immediately that ghosts don't really exist?

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