COLEGIO EVEREST CHIHUAHUA

BACHILLERATO ANÁHUAC
FIRST PERIOD EXAM
10th GRADE
ENGLISH
SEPTEMBER 2018

Name: _____________________________________ List no. _________

INSTRUCTIONS:
1.- Causes of total or partial cancellation of the exam:
- Speaking during the exam, even if you have turned it in.
- Lending or borrowing any kind of material.
- Any situation the teacher considers relevant.
- Illegible handwriting.
2.- You must answer with blue or black ink pen, Neatly.
3.- Maximum time to solve the test: 45 minutes.
4.- You can´t use book or dictionary.
5.- Number of questions: 50 POINTS
Correct answers: ___________ Grade:______

“The Fall of the House of Usher”

Edgar Allan Poe
Identify the choice that best answers the question. Write the answer on the line provided.

___ 1. At the beginning of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” what does the narrator do?
a. He listens to Roderick Usher’s improvisations on the guitar.
b. He travels with Roderick Usher to visit Usher’s family home.
c. He travels to visit Roderick Usher at Usher’s family home.
d. He helps Roderick Usher bury Roderick’s sister Madeline in a vault.

___ 2. Which phrase best describes Usher’s state of mind in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. cautious and glum
b. dull and depressed
c. suspicious and miserable
d. nervous and agitated

___ 3. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” what does Usher say is his biggest fear?
a. being frightened to death
b. being accidentally buried alive
c. the death of his sister Madeline
d. the collapse of his family’s house

___ 4. Which of the following is the most accurate description of what happens to Madeline Usher
in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. She dies, is buried by her brother, but then returns to life to terrorize her brother and the
narrator.
b. She appears to die, is mistakenly entombed, but then revives and forces her way to freedom
before dying.
c. She pretends to die, is taken for dead and is buried, but then emerges from her crypt to
destroy the house.
d. She nearly dies, recovers through a doctor’s help, but then is thrown into an underground
cell by her brother.
___ 5. Which is the most accurate description of the ending of the “The Fall of the House of
Usher”?
a. During a storm, the waters of the tarn surrounding the house rise until the house is
submerged.
b. During a storm, the barely perceptible fissure in the façade of the house widens until the
house collapses.
c. During a storm, Roderick Usher madly rushes about striking at the house until he causes its
collapse.
d. During a storm, Roderick and Madeline Usher struggle so madly that they cause the
collapse of the house.

___ 6. If a storm were to annihilate a building, which of the following would most likely be the
result?
a. The building would have part of its roof torn off.
b. The building would have damage but would remain intact.
c. The building would be reduced to small fragments.
d. The building would be removed from its foundation.

___ 7. Which of the following would most likely be considered an antiquity?

a. a vase from ancient times
b. a rusty piece of jewelry
c. a house built in the 1950s
d. a logbook from a space shuttle

___ 8. Which of the following is the best example of a tumultuous event?

a. a foggy night that hides the moon
b. a drought that causes crops to wither and die
c. a storm so loud that it is hard to hear others speaking
d. a winter night so cold that snow freezes into ice

___ 9. Read the following sentence from “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in which the narrator
explains that he has received a letter from Roderick Usher.
A letter, however, had lately reached me in a distant part of the country—a letter from him—which,
in its wildly importunate nature, had admitted of no other than a personal reply.
What is the most likely reason the narrator says the letter “admitted of no other than a personal
reply”? Base your answer on your knowledge of the story as well as on the sentence.
a. The narrator feels obliged to respond to his friend’s request for a visit because his friend is
clearly upset.
b. The narrator is worried that it will seem rude if he does not answer the letter in a personal
way.
c. The narrator hopes his friend will invite him to stay in the distant part of the country where
his friend lives.
d. The narrator believes that his friend is threatening to harm him if he does not give the right
answer.

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
___ Part A In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which details of the house’s interior seem to reflect
Usher’s appearance and the condition of his mind?
a. Usher’s confused behavior is reflected in the broken mirrors.
b. Usher’s self-assurance and noble manner is reflected in its wealth and splendor.
c. Usher’s advanced age and old-fashioned ways are reflected in the ancient furnishings.
d. Usher’s physical and mental deterioration is reflected in the gloomy darkness, lack of
comfort, and old, worn-out possessions.
___ Part B Which excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher” best supports the answer to Part
A?
a. The room in which I found myself was very large and lofty.
b. The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered.
c. A small picture presented the interior of an immensely long and rectangular vault or tunnel,
with low walls, smooth, white, and without interruption or device.
d. Our books—the books which, for years, had formed no small portion of the mental existence
of the invalid—were, as might be supposed, in keeping with this character of phantasm.

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
___ Part A In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which of the following is one of Roderick Usher’s
disturbing ideas?
a. Usher believes that his house has awareness, like a living thing.
b. Usher believes that his house will fall apart, sliding into the tarn.
c. Usher believes that his sister will die, even though she is healthy.
d. Usher believes that the narrator has held a grudge, ever since boyhood.
___ Part B Which excerpt from the story best supports the answer to Part A?
a. Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my
friend. His reserve had been always excessive and habitual.
b. The belief, however, was connected … with the gray stones of the home of his forefathers.
The conditions of the sentience had been here, he imagined, fulfilled in the method of collocation
of these stones.…
c. “I shall perish:” said [Usher], “I must perish in this deplorable folly. Thus, thus, and not
otherwise, shall I be lost. I dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results.”
d. [O]ne evening, having informed me abruptly that the lady Madeline was no more, [Usher]
stated his intention of preserving her corpse for a fortnight.…

___ 12. Which excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher” best captures the story’s overall
effect?
a. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an unredeemed dreariness of
thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.
b. Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my
friend.
c. Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability.
d. It had been used, apparently, in remote feudal times, for the worst purposes of a donjon-
keep, and, in later days, as a place of deposit for powder….

13. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
___ Part A Which of the following is a defining element of Gothic literature that is clearly illustrated
by “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
a. believable characters and settings
b. weird or otherworldly occurrences
c. a narrator who is also a character in the story
d. a contrast between rational and irrational characters
___ Part B Which excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher” best supports the answer to Part
A?
a. Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to myself a sojourn of some weeks.
Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my boon companions in boyhood; but many
years had elapsed since our last meeting.
b. The writer spoke of acute bodily illness—of a mental disorder which
oppressed him—and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best, and indeed his only personal
friend, with a view of attempting … some alleviation of his malady.
c. And thus, as a closer and still closer intimacy admitted me more unreservedly into the
recesses of his spirit, the more bitterly did I perceive the futility of all attempt at cheering a mind
from which darkness, as if an inherent positive quality, poured forth upon all objects of the moral
and physical universe, in one unceasing radiation of gloom.
d. [B]ut then without those doors there did stand the lofty and enshrouded figure of the lady
Madeline of Usher. There was blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of some bitter
struggle upon every portion of her emaciated frame.… then, with a low moaning cry, fell heavily
inward upon the person of her brother, and in her violent and now final death agonies, bore him
to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated.

___ 14. Which aspects of Roderick Usher’s character most clearly illustrate elements of Gothic
literature? Choose two options.
a. Roderick is an accomplished musician.
b. Roderick has a twin sister with whom he lives.
c. Roderick fears that unnatural forces control his home.
d. Roderick and his sister are the last living members of their family.
e. Roderick lives in a gloomy ancestral home far from populated areas.
f. Roderick reads specialized books and has unique theories about the world.

15. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
___ Part A Read the following excerpt from “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
The impetuous fury of the entering gust nearly lifted us from our feet. It was, indeed, a
tempestuous yet sternly beautiful night, and one wildly singular in its terror and its beauty.… —yet
we had no glimpse of the moon or stars, … But the under surfaces of the huge masses of agitated
vapor, as well as all terrestrial objects immediately around us, were glowing in the unnatural light of
a faintly luminous and distinctly visible gaseous exhalation which hung about and enshrouded the
mansion.
In what way is this excerpt most clearly characteristic of Gothic literature?
a. The description is dramatic. The setting described is eerie.
b. The description is detailed. The setting described is stormy.
c. The description is dramatic. The setting described has wild beauty.
d. The description is detailed. The setting described is filled with light.
___ Part B Which most clearly is the intended effect of the excerpt in Part A?
a. to help readers understand why a disaster will soon occur
b. to help readers sympathize with a character who is going mad
c. to create a mood of terror
d. to create a mood of enthusiasm

___ 16. Read the following sentence.

The wrestler faced his adversary in the ring.
In which of these answer choices does the underlined word have a denotation and a connotation
closest to the denotation and the connotation of adversary?
a. Keisha’s foe on the student council was Joe, who voted against every suggestion she made.
b. The United Nations can serve as an arbiter between nations when they are in disagreement.
c. The hurricane was a natural catastrophe on the island, damaging several homes and a
hotel.
d. Sofía’s strongest competitor in the race is Ashley, who logged a very fast time last year.
___ 17. Read the following sentence.
Malik bought his mother some flowers, and she enjoyed their fragrance.
In which of these answer choices does the underlined word have the same denotation as fragrance
but a clearly opposite connotation?
a. Arjun knew from the stench of the leftovers that it was time to clean the refrigerator.
b. Melanie breathed in the aroma of freshly baked bread as she walked past the bakery.
c. Dion used a new spice when he made dinner for his family, and they praised the flavor.
d. Freddie agrees that the interior of a new car has a special odor, but he does not like it.

___ 18. Select the answer choice in which a dependent clause is underlined.
a. Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be the inventor of the detective story.
b. Writers all over the world have imitated his tales of mystery and supernatural events.
c. He earned his living as a writer, but he was in financial difficulties for most of his short life.
d. Though the cause of Poe’s death is unknown, many believe that poor health and habits
were probably the main factors.

___ 19. Select the complex sentence.

a. Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, while they delight the imagination, also challenge one’s
intelligence.
b. Poe’s writing style is considered dense and challenging by many of today’s readers.
c. Still, most young people like his tales of horror, and some stories have been made into
popular movies.
d. Have you seen the movie House of Usher or another film called The Haunted Palace?

___ 20. Select the compound-complex sentence.

a. Poe also wrote poems that cover a wide range of human emotions, including love, joy, and
intense sorrow.
b. For example, he wrote “Annabel Lee,” a tender love poem dedicated to his deceased and
beloved wife.
c. “The Raven,” a long poem by Poe, has the melancholy, pessimistic tone of his short stories,
but it is one of his most popular works.
d. He also wrote a poem that he entitled “The Bells” because the words in the verse imitate the
sounds of different kinds of bells, and the poem has become a popular piece to be read aloud by
a chorus.