"The Rats in the Walls" by H.P. Lovecraft Quiz and Answer Key

“The Rats in the Walls” by H.P. Lovecraft is a dark and engaging short story for high school students, especially during the Halloween season. Use this plot-based quiz to evaluate general reading comprehension, or assign it as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with a work of Lovecraftian horror. An answer key is included, as well as a copy of the narrative, which has been edited to eliminate invective. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• The name and location of the ancestral estate
• The protagonist’s intentions for the estate
• Secondary characters and their connections to the protagonist
• Secondary characters and their primary roles in the text
• The content of the protagonist’s dreams
• The fate of the protagonist’s ancestors
• The protagonist’s fate
• And more