The Fall of the House of Usher Study Guide

1. "Son coeur est un luth suspendu" means:

• His mind is a hanging lute.
• His mind is a lute that has stopped playing.
• His heart is a hanging lute.
• His heart is a lute that has stopped playing.

2. What is "the remarkable fact" concerning the Usher family?

• Every member has gone insane.
• It lies entirely in the direct line of descent.
• It possesses royal blood.
• It is originally from Romania.

3. "Shaking off from my spirit what must have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of

• Madeline's face."
• Usher's face."
• the building."
• the vault."

4. Why does the House of Usher remind the Narrator of "old wood-work"?

• It is many centuries old.
• It is remarkably delicate in the flourishes of its architecture.
• It is in crumbling condition and yet remarkably stable.
• It is brown in color.

5. "I rode over a short [ ] to the house."

• bridge
• road
• hill
• causeway

6. "the Usher race, all time-honored as it was, had put forth, at no period, any

• deep roots"
• work of charity"
• lasting seed"
• enduring branch"

7. What drug does Usher's condition remind the Narrator of?

• marijuana
• acid
• snuff
• opium

8. "During the whole of a

• dull, dark, and soundless day"
• dreary afternoon"
• dark and stormy night"
• feverish and cloudy evening"

9. How do Usher and the Narrator know one another?

• They are brothers.
• They have never met.
• They met during the war.
• They were boyhood friends.

10. What is the name of the one woman in the story?

• Madeline
• Nancy
• Caroline
• Ligeia