Short Stories

Question 1

Tell-Tale Heart, The

Answer 1

Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed.

Question 2

Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed.

Answer 2

Tell-Tale Heart, The

Question 3

A Hunger Artist

Answer 3

Franz Kafka, 1922. The experiences of a hunger artist, a person who publicly fasts for the entertainment of others.

Question 4

Franz Kafka, 1922. The experiences of a hunger artist, a person who publicly fasts for the entertainment of others.

Answer 4

A Hunger Artist

Question 5

Lottery, The

Answer 5

Shirley Jackson, 1948. The story describes a fictional small American community which observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery”, in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens.

Question 6

Shirley Jackson, 1948. The story describes a fictional small American community which observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery”, in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens.

Answer 6

Lottery, The

Question 7

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Answer 7

Ambrose Bierce, 1890. The final seconds of the life of Peyton Farquhar, a southern planter, during the Civil War.

Question 8

Ambrose Bierce, 1890. The final seconds of the life of Peyton Farquhar, a southern planter, during the Civil War.

Answer 8

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Question 9

My Old Man

Answer 9

Ernest Hemingway, 1923. The story tells of a boy named Joe whose father is a steeplechase jockey, riding in races on tracks in the Milan.

Question 10

Ernest Hemingway, 1923. The story tells of a boy named Joe whose father is a steeplechase jockey, riding in races on tracks in the Milan.

Answer 10

My Old Man

Question 11

Gift of the Magi, The

Answer 11

O. Henry, 1905. The tale of a young husband and wife who long to give each other meaningful Christmas presents. The couple is constrained by their meagre budget, so each gives up something they treasure in order to afford a gift for the other.

Question 12

O. Henry, 1905. The tale of a young husband and wife who long to give each other meaningful Christmas presents. The couple is constrained by their meagre budget, so each gives up something they treasure in order to afford a gift for the other.

Answer 12

Gift of the Magi, The

Question 13

One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts

Answer 13

Shirley Jackson, 1955. A seemingly ordinary man fills his pockets with candy and peanuts and walks the streets of New York, helping strangers.

Question 14

Shirley Jackson, 1955. A seemingly ordinary man fills his pockets with candy and peanuts and walks the streets of New York, helping strangers.

Answer 14

One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts

Question 15

Nightingale and the Rose, The

Answer 15

Oscar Wilde, 1888. A boy of philosophy fallen in love with a professor’s daughter, wanted to dance with her in a ball but she said that if he would bring a red rose for her then she would dance with him.

Question 16

Oscar Wilde, 1888. A boy of philosophy fallen in love with a professor’s daughter, wanted to dance with her in a ball but she said that if he would bring a red rose for her then she would dance with him.

Answer 16

Nightingale and the Rose, The

Question 17

Snows of Kilimanjaro, The

Answer 17

Ernest Hemingway, 1936. The story focuses on the self-critical ruminations and memories of a writer dying of a preventable case of gangrene on safari.

Question 18

Ernest Hemingway, 1936. The story focuses on the self-critical ruminations and memories of a writer dying of a preventable case of gangrene on safari.

Answer 18

Snows of Kilimanjaro, The

Question 19

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Answer 19

Joyce Carol Oates, 1966. The story follows Connie, a 15 year old girl through her life and summer in 1966. Her summer comes to a halt one afternoon while her family is away from their home. She meets a stranger named Arnold Friend whose interest in her may not be what it seems.

Question 20

Joyce Carol Oates, 1966. The story follows Connie, a 15 year old girl through her life and summer in 1966. Her summer comes to a halt one afternoon while her family is away from their home. She meets a stranger named Arnold Friend whose interest in her may not be what it seems.

Answer 20

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Question 21

Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, The

Answer 21

Ursula K. Le Guin, 1973. With deliberately both vague and vivid descriptions, the narrator depicts a summer festival in the utopian city of Omelas, whose prosperity depends on the perpetual misery of a single child.

Question 22

Ursula K. Le Guin, 1973. With deliberately both vague and vivid descriptions, the narrator depicts a summer festival in the utopian city of Omelas, whose prosperity depends on the perpetual misery of a single child.

Answer 22

Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, The

Question 23

Cat That Lived a Million Times, The

Answer 23

Yoko Sano, 1977. A Buddhist allegory of birth, death and rebirth. This is the tale of a cat with more than nine lives who keeps being reborn to owners he dislikes, until he discovers freedom and love.

Question 24

Yoko Sano, 1977. A Buddhist allegory of birth, death and rebirth. This is the tale of a cat with more than nine lives who keeps being reborn to owners he dislikes, until he discovers freedom and love.

Answer 24

Cat That Lived a Million Times, The

Question 25

You Are Special

Answer 25

Max Lucado, 1997. Every day the small wooden people called Wemmicks do the same thing: stick either gold stars or gray dots on one another. The pretty ones—those with smooth wood and fine paint—always get stars. The talented ones do, too. Others, though, who can do little or who have chipped paint, get ugly gray dots. Like Punchinello. Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is—no matter what other Wemmicks may think.

Question 26

Max Lucado, 1997. Every day the small wooden people called Wemmicks do the same thing: stick either gold stars or gray dots on one another. The pretty ones—those with smooth wood and fine paint—always get stars. The talented ones do, too. Others, though, who can do little or who have chipped paint, get ugly gray dots. Like Punchinello. Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is—no matter what other Wemmicks may think.

Answer 26

You Are Special

Question 27

Jolly Corner, The

Answer 27

Henry James, 1908. The adventures of Spencer Brydon as he explores the empty New York house where he grew up. He encounters a “sensation more complex than had ever before found itself consistent with sanity.” The Jolly Corner is the nickname he gave to his childhood home. Brydon begins to believe that his alter ego-the ghost of the man he might have been is haunting the house. The theme of unlived lives runs throughout the story.

Question 28

Henry James, 1908. The adventures of Spencer Brydon as he explores the empty New York house where he grew up. He encounters a “sensation more complex than had ever before found itself consistent with sanity.” The Jolly Corner is the nickname he gave to his childhood home. Brydon begins to believe that his alter ego-the ghost of the man he might have been is haunting the house. The theme of unlived lives runs throughout the story.

Answer 28

Jolly Corner, The

Question 29

Yellow Wallpaper, The

Answer 29

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892. The deterioration of a woman's mental health while she is on a "rest cure" on a rented summer country estate with her family. Her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom marks her descent into psychosis from her depression throughout the story.

Question 30

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892. The deterioration of a woman's mental health while she is on a "rest cure" on a rented summer country estate with her family. Her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom marks her descent into psychosis from her depression throughout the story.

Answer 30

Yellow Wallpaper, The

Question 31

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Answer 31

Harlan Ellison, 1967. The story is set against the backdrop of World War III, where a sentient supercomputer named AM, born from the merging of the world's major defense computers, eradicates humanity except for five individuals. These survivors—Benny, Gorrister, Nimdok, Ted, and Ellen—are kept alive by AM to endure endless torture as a form of revenge against their creators. The story unfolds through the eyes of Ted, the narrator, detailing their perpetual misery and quest for canned food in AM's vast, underground complex, only to face further despair.

Question 32

Harlan Ellison, 1967. The story is set against the backdrop of World War III, where a sentient supercomputer named AM, born from the merging of the world's major defense computers, eradicates humanity except for five individuals. These survivors—Benny, Gorrister, Nimdok, Ted, and Ellen—are kept alive by AM to endure endless torture as a form of revenge against their creators. The story unfolds through the eyes of Ted, the narrator, detailing their perpetual misery and quest for canned food in AM's vast, underground complex, only to face further despair.

Answer 32

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Question 33

Fall of the House of Usher, The

Answer 33

Edgar Allan Poe, 1839. A story about an unnamed narrator who is going to visit his ill friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick’s twin sister Madeline is also ill with this unknown disease and Roderick believes that his house is sentient. The death and burial of Madeline is the catalyst for a series of supernatural and disturbing events, culminating in a grand finale which leaves the narrator fleeing from the house as it comes crumbling down.

Question 34

Edgar Allan Poe, 1839. A story about an unnamed narrator who is going to visit his ill friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick’s twin sister Madeline is also ill with this unknown disease and Roderick believes that his house is sentient. The death and burial of Madeline is the catalyst for a series of supernatural and disturbing events, culminating in a grand finale which leaves the narrator fleeing from the house as it comes crumbling down.

Answer 34

Fall of the House of Usher, The

Question 35

Black Cat, The

Answer 35

Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. The story of an alcoholic who is driven by his addiction. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered except for a gallows mark on its chest follows him home and drives him to become even more irrationally violent.

Question 36

Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. The story of an alcoholic who is driven by his addiction. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered except for a gallows mark on its chest follows him home and drives him to become even more irrationally violent.

Answer 36

Black Cat, The

Question 37

Masque of Red Death, The

Answer 37

Edgar Allan Poe, 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it. The guests also die in turn.

Question 38

Edgar Allan Poe, 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it. The guests also die in turn.

Answer 38

Masque of Red Death, The

Question 39

An Inhabitant of Carcosa

Answer 39

Ambrose Bierce, 1886. The first-person narrative concerns a man from the ancient city of Carcosa who awakens from a sickness-induced sleep to find himself lost in an unfamiliar wilderness.

Question 40

Ambrose Bierce, 1886. The first-person narrative concerns a man from the ancient city of Carcosa who awakens from a sickness-induced sleep to find himself lost in an unfamiliar wilderness.

Answer 40

An Inhabitant of Carcosa

Question 41

Nameless City, The

Answer 41

H.P. Lovecraft, 1921. It is often considered the first story set in the Cthulhu Mythos world. In the story, the protagonist travels to the middle of the Arabian Desert to explore an ancient underground city.

Question 42

H.P. Lovecraft, 1921. It is often considered the first story set in the Cthulhu Mythos world. In the story, the protagonist travels to the middle of the Arabian Desert to explore an ancient underground city.

Answer 42

Nameless City, The