Comprehension Test

The Murders in the Rue Morgue a F

b F
Edgar Allan Poe
c F
1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? d T
a F Auguste Dupin was a police detective. e T
b F Auguste Dupin and his friend lived in the Rue Morgue. f T
c T Auguste Dupin and his friend went for walks every afternoon.
g F
d t Chantilly wrote a very bad book. h T
e T The body of the daughter was in the chimney. i T
f t Some people heard an argument in the dead women’s house. j F
g F All of the witnesses spoke French.
h T The police arrested a bank clerk.
i tf The murderer came to France on a ship.
j F The murderer went to prison.

20 marks

2 Put the following events in the right order. Number them 1-10.
a The neighbours and the police find the bodies.
b Dupin explains about the voices and the window.
c The sailor sells the orang-outang.
d __ The sailor finds the orang-outang again.
e People hear screams in the house.
f Dupin shows his friend a book about orang-outangs.
g Dupin reads about the murders in the newswpaper.
h The sailor tells his story.
i The sailor comes to see Dupin.
j Dupin and his friend go to the house.

20 marks

3 Who said this? Who did they say it to? The doctor, Dupin, Dupin’s friend, the police, the
sailor.

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 1

 a ‘He cannot write tragedy, that is true.’ ……………….. to ………………..
b ‘I don’t know any apple-sellers!’ ……………….. to ………………..
c ‘All this was done by a very strong person.’ ……………….. to ………………..
d ‘The animal ran, and I followed.’ ……………….. to ………………..
e ‘I found the answer to this mystery, and he didn’t.’ ……………….. to ………………..

20 marks

4 Who, in the story . . . Le Bon, Dupin, Dupin’s friend, Madame L’Espanaye, Mademoiselle
L’Espanaye, the sailor.
a . . . met Dupin in a bookshop? ………………..
b . . . came from a famous family? ………………..
c . . . lived with her mother? ………………..
d . . . once helped Dupin? ………………..
e . . . had some hair in her hand? ………………..
f . . . put an advertisement in the newspaper? ………………..
g . . . carried a heavy stick? ………………..
h . . . followed an orang-outang through the streets of Paris? ………………..
i . . . told the police the true story? ………………..
j . . . was free at the end of the story? ………………..

20 marks

5 Fill in the gaps. Use these words: chimney, hands, lightning-rod, orang-outang, razor,
shutter, streets, sailor, threw, window.
The …………………… escaped and ran through the ……………………of Paris. He got into
the house by climbing up the ……………………, and then swung on the ……………………
through the open …………………… . He killed the older woman with a ……………………,
and the younger woman with his …………………… . Then he pushed the younger woman up
the …………………… and ……………………her mother out of the window. The
……………………watched the murders but he couldn’t stop them.

20 marks

Total marks

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 2

Multiple-choice Test

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

Setting

Choose the best answer.

1 The writer met Auguste Dupin while he was living in Paris in the _____ of 1839.
a [ ] autumn and winter b [ * ] spring and summer
c [ ] winter and spring d [ ] summer and autumn 1 b
2 Dupin was from _____ and famous family. 2 c
a [ ] a rich b [ ] a young c [* ] an old d [ ] a happy 3 b
3 _____ were the love of Dupin’s life. 4 d
a [ ] Animals b [* ] Books c [ ] Children d [ ] Clothes 5 a
4 The writer and Dupin first met in a _____. 6 c
a [ ] school b [ ] church c [ ] house d [ * ] bookshop 7 b
5 They found a house together in _____ street. 8 a
a [ * ] a quiet b [ ] an old c [ ] a noisy d [ ] a nice 9 c
6 They lived only for the _____. 10 d
a [ ] food b [ ] day c [ * ] night d [ ] streets
7 Dupin said that people had _____ in their faces.
a [ ] doors b [ * ] windows c [ ] walls d [ ] streets
8 The story about the murders was in the _____, an evening newspaper.
a [ *] Gazette b [ ] Times c [ ] Express d [ ] Telegraph
9 People were woken from sleep by a number of terrible _____.
a [ ] shouts b [ ] drawings c [ * ] screams d [ ] neighbours
10 The murders happened on the _____ floor.
a [ ] first b [ ] second c [ ] third d [ *] fourth

20 marks

Characters

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 3

Choose the best answer.
11 Auguste Dupin could read people’s _____.
a [ ] clothes b [ * ] thoughts c [ ] neighbours d [ ] windows
12 Pauline Dubourg did the _____ for Madame and her daughter.
a [ ] garden b [ ] windows c [ * ] washing d [ ] shopping
13 Madame L’Espanaye had lived in the Rue Morgue for _____ years.
a [ ] four b [ ] three c [ ] five d [ ] six
14 Days before her death Madame L’Espanaye took four thousand _____ out of the bank.
a [ ] francs b [ ] pounds c [ ] dollars d [ ] euros
15 The _____ was the first one up the stairs to the first floor.
a [ ] musician b [ ] policeman c [ ] kitchen worker d [ ] neighbour
16 Adolphe Le Bon was the _____ who delivered the money to the house.
a [ * ] clerk b [ ] policeman c [ ] shopkeeper d [ ] doctor
17 Henri Duval was a _____.
a [ ] shopkeeper b [ ] neighbour c [ ] policeman d [ ] cook
18 Mademoiselle L’Espanaye’s first name was _____.
a [* ] Camille b [ ] Carol c [ ] Clara d [ ] Clarissa
19 The sailor had just come back from _____.
a [ ] Africa b [ ] America c [ ] the East Indies d [ * ] India
20 The orang-outang had _____ hair.
a [* ] red b [ ] brown c [ ] black d [ ] orange

20 marks

Dialogue

Who said this?

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 4

 21 ‘The apple-seller! But I don’t know any apple-sellers.’
a [ ] Dupin b [ ] the writer c [ ] Madame L’Espanaye d [ ] Henri Duval
22 ‘In six years I never saw anybody go into their house except the postman and the doctor.’
a [ ] Pierre Moreau b [ ] Pauline Dubourg c [ ] Jan Odenheimer d [ ] Isodore Muset
23 ‘I went into the house with the others and heard the voices on the stairs.’
a [ ] Auguste Dupin b [ ] the writer c [ ] Adolphe Le Bon d [ ] William Bird
24 ‘We must not say ‘impossible’ just because the police have done nothing.’
a [ ] Auguste Dupin b [ ] the police inspector c [ ] the writer d [ ] Adolphe Le Bon
25 ‘But perhaps the voice was speaking an African language, or an Asian one.’
a [ ] the police inspector b [ ] Auguste Dupin c [ ] the writer d [ ] Henri Duval
26 ‘What has happened that has never happened before?’
a [ ] the sailor b [ ] the writer c [ ] the police inspector d [ ] Auguste Dupin
27 ‘A madman has done this – a wild and horrible madman ...’
a [ ] the writer b [ ] the police inspector c [ ] Adolphe Le Bon d [ ] the sailor
28 ‘Sailors always use ribbons like these to tie back their long hair.’
a [ ] the sailor b [ ] the writer c [ ] Auguste Dupin d [ ] the police inspector
29 ‘God help me. I will tell you what I know.’
a [ ] the writer b [ ] Adolphe Le Bon c [ ] Auguste Dupin d [ ] the sailor
30 ‘And last, it took the old lady’s body, carried it to the window, and pushed it through.’
a [ ] Adolphe Le Bon b [ ] the sailor c [ ] the writer d [ ] the police inspector

20 marks

Vocabulary
31 b
Choose the best answer.
32 c
31 not able to understand or explain something
33 a
a [ ] peculiar b [* ] puzzled c [ ] tragedy d [ ] horrible
34 a
32 when pieces of wood, etc. cross over each other
35 d
a [ ] fasten b [ ] shutter c [ * ] latticed d [ ] nail
36 a
33 a small piece of material for tying things
37 c
a [ * ] ribbon b [ ] spring c [ ] mattress d [ ] razor
38 b
34 a very sad thing that happens
39 a
a [ * ] tragedy b [ ] faint c [ ] arrest d [ ] ancient
40 a
35 able to move very quickly and easily
a [ ] swing b [ ] fasten c [ ] motive d [ * ] agile
36 very cruel and violent
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 5
 a [ * ] brutal b [ ] whip c [ ] horrible d [ ] bruise
37 a person who sees something happen and can tell other people about it later
a [ ] madman b [ ] foreigner c [ * ] witness d [ ] clerk
38 a piece of hard ground next to or between buildings
a [ ] chimney b [ * ] yard c [ ] quarter d [ ] shutter
39 somebody who lives in the next house
a [* ] neighbour b [ ] foreigner c [ ] orang-outang d [ ] clerk
40 to fall down suddenly, because you are ill or afraid
a [ * ] faint b [ ] argue c [ ] fasten d [ ] arrest

20 marks

Plot

Choose the best answer.

41 When the police arrived the room was locked, with the _____ on the inside.
a [ ] neighbours b [ *] key c [ ] clerk d [ ] shutter
42 In front of the fireplace on the floor was a _____.
a [ ] book b [ ] whip c [ ] newspaper d [ * ] razor
43 A small strong-box was found under the _____.
a [ ] chair b [ ] fireplace c [ * ] mattress d [ ] window
44 When the police looked _____ they found the body of the daughter.
a [ ] under the window b [ * ] up the chimney
c [ ] in the garden d [ ] on the second floor
45 The police arrested _____.
a [* ] Adolphe Le Bon b [ ] Auguste Dupin c [ ] Pauline Dubourg d [ ] Pierre Moreau
46 Dupin tried to take out the _____ to open the windows.
a [ ] shutters b [ ] lightning-rod c [ * ] nails d [ ] ribbon
47 It was possible to climb up the _____ to the fourth floor.
a [ ] shutters b [ ] chimney c [ *] lightning-rod d [ ] windows
48 The owner of the orang-outang was _____ on a Maltese ship.
a [* ] a sailor b [ ] an officer c [ ] a kitchen worker d [ ] a musician
49 The orang-outang was a wild and _____ animal.
a [ ] hungry b [* ] dangerous c [ ] quiet d [ ] happy
50 At the end of the story the man _____.
a [ ] killed the orang-outang b [ * ] gave the orang-outang to the police
c [ ] sold the orang-outang d [ ] gave the orang-outang to Dupin
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 6
 20 marks

Total marks

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 7

The Murders in the Rue Morgue
1 a F
b F
c F
d T
e T
f T
g F
h T
i T
j F

2 a 2
b 5
c 10
d 9
e 1
f 6
g 3
h 8
i 7
j 4

3 a Dupin, Dupinís friend

b Dupinís friend, Dupin
c the doctor, the police
g the sailor, Dupin
j Dupin, Dupinís friend

4 a Dupinís friend
b Dupin
c Mademoiselle LíEspanaye
d Le Bon
e Madame LíEspanaye
f Dupin
g the sailor

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 8

 h the sailor
i Dupin
j Le Bon

5 orang-outang, streets, lightning-rod, shutter, window, razor, hands, chimney, threw, sailor

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2 9

The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Setting
1 b
2 c
3 b
4 d
5 a
6 c
7 b
8 a
9 c
10 d

Characters
11 b
12 c
13 d
14 a
15 b
16 a
17 b
18 a
19 c
20 d

Dialogue
21 b
22 a
23 d
24 a
25 c
26 d
27 a
28 c
29 d
30 b

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 210

Vocabulary
31 b
32 c
33 a
34 a
35 d
36 a
37 c
38 b
39 a
40 a

Plot
41 b
42 d
43 c
44 b
45 a
46 c
47 c
48 a
49 b
50 c

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 211