Refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this story.

which quotation from "the black cat" best supports the inference that even though the narrator explains how the image of the cat appears after the fire, he does not wholly believe it?

a. “for months i could not rid myself of the phantasm of the cat; …”

b. “although i thus readily accounted to my reason,…it did not the less fail to make a deep impression upon my fancy.”

c. “when i first beheld this apparition—for i could scarcely regard it as less—my wonder and my terror were extreme.”

d. “i went so far as to regret the loss of the animal,…”



refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this story.

read this excerpt from “the black cat” by edgar allan poe.

one morning, in cool blood, i slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; —hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; —hung it because i knew that it had loved me, and because i felt it had given me no reason of offence…

which statements describe the effect of the unreliable narrator in this passage?

select each correct answer.

readers experience a sense of suspense about what the narrator might do next.

readers realize that the narrator has a dependable explanation.

readers acknowledge the honesty contained in the narrator's account.

readers question the validity of the narrator's explanation of his feelings.



refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this story.

read this excerpt from “the black cat” by edgar allan poe.

one night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, i fancied that the cat avoided my presence. i seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth.

how does the first-person point of view affect the meaning of the text?

a. readers gain insight into why the cat avoids the narrator.

b. readers learn the narrator's own analysis and explanation for his treatment of his wife.

c. readers get an inside perspective on how the narrator feels when the cat ignores him.

d. readers learn about the narrator's excuse for his behavior.