“Cool Air” by H.P. Lovecraft Quiz and Answer Key

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning duties with this plot-based quiz on H.P. Lovecraft’s narrative “Cool Air,” a horror story featuring numerous compelling elements for high school students: medical experiments, the pursuit of immortality, and more. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate engagement with the narrative. An answer key and copy of the short story are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• The narrator’s reaction to cool air
• The narrator’s philosophical beliefs
• The reason the narrator moves from apartment to apartment
• The narrator’s treatment of his lodgemates
• Peculiar smells that permeate the building
• Mrs. Herrero’s role in the story
• How the narrator came to know Dr. Muñoz
• The narrator’s initial perception of Dr. Muñoz
• Dr. Muñoz’s beliefs concerning the power of human will
• Dr. Muñoz’s medical practices
• The reason Dr. Muñoz becomes a “gruesome companion”
• Dr. Muñoz’s independence
• A habit Dr. Muñoz develops
• The consequences of a broken refrigeration system
• A discovery in Dr. Muñoz’s apartment
• A stunning revelation