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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. What does Duping believe is true about the killer?

2. How many days before her death did Madame L'Espanaye pull out money?

3. When the news report is read by Dupin, what does he realize?

4. How is Madame L'Espanaye related to Camille?

5. What has been taken from the Rue Morgue after the murders?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does The Narrator describe the story that he tells?

2. Why does Dupin believe that the owner of the orangutan is a sailor?

3. Why does Dupin give The Narrator a pistol?

4. What does Dupin do at the crime scene?

5. What are Dupin's thoughts about the voices the neighbors overheard?

6. What elements make "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" a Gothic story?

7. Describe the location of Madame L'Espanaye's daughter's body.

8. Describe the way the orangutan behaved after killing the women, according to the sailor.

9. Why did a struggle erupt between the sailor and the orangutan?

10. Compare Dupin to the police.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What elements of a frame story are in this story? What purpose do these elements serve?

Essay Topic 2

Is a short story the best way to convey this story's message? Explain why or why not, comparing it to another form such as a novel.

Essay Topic 3

How does Poe use interviews and testimonies in the story? How do they create a sense of mystery and suspense? What other purpose do they serve?

(see the answer keys)

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