The Fall of the House of Usher

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. What is the substance covering the exterior of the house?

2. What is the only type of musical instrument that doesn’t fill Roderick Usher with horror?

3. How often does the narrator encounter Madeline Usher before she dies?

4. What is the title of the song Roderick Usher sings for the narrator?

5. What strange thing does Roderick Usher believe about his house?

6. What is the floor of Madeline’s vault made of?

7. What does the narrator see behind the house as it collapses?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe the nature of Madeline’s illness.

2. What does the narrator observe of Roderick Usher’s demeanor after the internment of his sister?

3. How does the narrator describe Roderick’s mood when Roderick knocks on his door in the middle of the night?

Paired Resource

“Elements of the Gothic Novel”

• This information sheet lists the salient characteristics of the Gothic novel.
• What Gothic elements can be identified in the story?

Recommended Next Reads

“The Rats in the Walls” by H. P. Lovecraft

• When Delapore restores his ancestral estate in England, he begins hearing rats scurrying in the walls.