READING COMPREHENSION - THE BLACK CAT BY EDGAR ALLA POE

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The Black Cat – Reading Comprehension Activities 

1. Vocabulary in Context

Match each word from the story with the correct definition. Use context clues from the text.

• malevolence – fiend – gallows – perverseness – apparition – remorse
  a) A supernatural vision or ghost
  b) Evil intention
  c) A cruel or wicked person
  d) A place of execution by hanging
  e) A feeling of deep regret
  f) A desire to do wrong, even knowing it is harmful

2. Literal Comprehension (Check Understanding)

Answer in full sentences.

1. What was the narrator’s relationship with animals at the beginning of the story?

2. Why did he harm Pluto, the first cat?

3. What strange image appeared on the wall of the burned house?

4. How did the narrator’s wife die?

5. How was the narrator finally discovered?

3. True or False

Decide whether each statement is true or false, and correct the false ones.

1. The narrator always hated animals.

2. Alcohol played a major role in his change of character.

3. The second cat was completely identical to Pluto.

4. The police discovered the wife’s body because the narrator confessed.

5. The story is written from the narrator’s point of view.

4. Inferential Questions (Read Between the Lines)

1. What does the black cat symbolize in the story?

2. How does the narrator try to justify his violent actions?

3. Do you think the narrator is sane or insane? Why?