Question

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this story.

Read this excerpt from “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Beneath the pressure of torments such as these, the feeble remnant of the good within me succumbed. Evil thoughts became my sole intimates—the darkest and most evil of thoughts. The moodiness of my usual temper increased to hatred of all things and of all mankind…

Which statements describe the effect of the narrator in this passage?

Select each correct answer.

Readers are confident they can depend on the narrator's explanation.

Readers recognize the truthfulness within the narrator's account.

Readers question the narrator's interpretation of his motivation.

Readers fear what the narrator, giving into evil, will do next.

Answer 1

C) Readers question the narrator's interpretation of his motivation.
D) Readers fear what the narrator giving into evil, will do next.
(I took the test, good luck on everything else.)

Answer 2

The correct answers are C. Readers question the narrator's interpretation of his motivation, and D. Readers fear what the narrator, giving into evil, will do next.

He is evidently distressed and deeply disturbed, but nevertheless, we are wondering if he tries to run away from his responsibility. People don't just turn from good to bad, and that is why we doubt his account and interpretation.

As for D, we feel suspense and expect something bad to happen, thanks to the narrator's description of his own state of mind.