Mr. Giacche
Mrs. Howell
English
“The Tell Tale hearT” STudy Guide
Name:
Reading Comprehension
(Right There Questions)
WhaT WaS The narraTor’S reaSon for killinG The
old man?
How many nights did the narrator stalk the old man?
Why does he finally kill the old man on this Final
night?
What made the police arrive at the house? How does
the narrator take care of this problem?
What sound drives the narrator to confess to the
crime?
Making Inferences
At the beginning of the story, the narrator says he is
not mad. Do you think he is mad? Why or why not?
How does the narrator act when the police initially
enter the house (Use a couple adjectives or adverbs to
describe the narrator or the way he acts at this
point)? Why does the narrator act this way?
Do the police officers suspect any
wrongdoings? How do you know?
How does Poe include the reader in the story?
Why does the narrator invite the police to sit down in
the exact room that the crime was committed?
How does the narrator create suspense at the end of
the story? What happens to the way he tells the story?
Summarizing
Using complete sentences, describe the conclusion of
the story
Using Context Clues
WhaT doeS The Term “Tell Tale” mean?
Based on the following context clues
DeFine the underlined words.
“True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had
been and am: by why will you say that I am mad?”
Mad—
“iT iS impoSSible To say how first the idea entered my
brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and
niGhT.”
Conceived—
“firST of all i dismembered the corpse. I cut off the
head and The armS and The leGS”
Dismembered—
Brilliant Writing and Using Literary Elements
Effectively
How does Edgar Allen Poe include the reader in the
story?
How does Poe impact the reading of the story? How
does he control the pace of the reading? How does he
control the volume of the way the story is read? You
will need to take a look back at his writing to answer
ThiS. CheCk poe’S uSe of punCTuaTion.
-------------------------------------------------------------Describe the imagery of the eye (use specific examples
from the text):
What does the narrator compare the beating of the
heart to?
What type of literary element is this an example of?
Poe uses sensory language very effectively. What senses
does Poe appeal to, and how does he accomplish this?
Yes, you have to think about your five senses!
Search the text for a great example of personification.
Connecting the title to the story
What does tell-tale mean?
Why did edGar allen poe ChooSe The TiTle “The Tell Tale
hearT”?
Whose heartbeat does the narrator hear? Provide
passages from the story as evidence.