Question

Read the following paragraph and answer the question. 1Poe really was the inventor of the detective story, which he called the "ratiocinative" tale. 2Here believing the effect intended was "to perplex the reader and whet his desire for elucidation," he originated two devices useful to this day. 3One might be called "the device of the baffled friend": He gave his brilliant detective a companion not good at solutions and had him tell the story. 4Viewing the happenings through this narrator's eyes, the reader shares his growing puzzlement. 5Poe used his second device at the tale's end: He had the detective disclose his surprising solution and then "elucidate" step by step the reasoning which led to it. 6"The Purloined Letter" demonstrated Poe's use of these two devices in a detective story. (From: United States in Literature by Walter Blair, Paul Farmer, Theodore Hornberger, and Margaret Wasson. C. 1963 by Scott, Foresman and Company. Reprinted by permission.) Type the essential words which must be included in a paragraph summary of Sentences 1-6.

Answer 1

Essential words for a summary would include: Poe, detective, originate, device, companion, disclose.

An example summary is as follows:

This paragraph describes *Poe* as being the first to *originate* the *detective* story. There are two main *devices* that Poe used in his short story "The Purloined Letter" that became staples in the form of detective stories. The first is that he gave his detective a *companion*. Because the companion was slower than the detective, it allowed the audience to identify with one of the characters and discover the mystery through his eyes. The second device is having the detective *disclose* the surprising solution, or walk through the steps so that each detail becomes clear to the companion as well as the reader.

Answer 2

The essential words are the key words which we will use in a paragraph summary.

The key words from these sentences, respectively are: Poe, detective (or detective story), two(devices), companion, at the tale's end.

An example summary could be in the following form:

Poe was the inventor of the detective story. He used two devices and it could be found in his story named "The Purloined Letter". The first device is about a companion who tells the story, but does not solve the puzzle. However, the second device shows how the detective discloses the mystery at the end of the tale.