The Story of the Oval Portrait
by Edgar Allan Poe from The Oval Portrait
Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story “The Oval Portrait” presents a story within a story. The narrator has been hurt. He and his servant find shelter in an abandoned mansion for the night. The narrator is resting in one of the bedrooms which is filled with paintings. One of the paintings is the portrait of a beautiful young woman who seems almost to be alive. After studying the portrait for a good while, the narrator reads about it in a book he has found about the paintings.
Reading Comprehension Passage
The Story of the Oval Portrait
by Edgar Allan Poe from The Oval Portrait
Reading Comprehension Questions
Vocabulary List
Vocabulary List
Each of the vocabulary words below are used in the reading passage. As you read the passage, pay attention to context clues that suggest the word’s meaning.
- austere
- frolicsome
- reveries
- turret
- fervid
- wrought
- ardor
- countenance
- tremulous
- aghast
Context Clues
Context Clues
Using context clues from the sentences in the passage, underline the correct meaning of the word in boldface.
1) “He, passionate, studious, austere”
a. foreign b. boisterous; talkative c. withdrawn d. stern or restrained
2) “all light and smiles, and frolicsome as the young fawn”
a. timid or shy b. gentle; calm c. young, baby-like d. playful; frisky
3) “he was a passionate, and wild, and moody man, who became lost in reveries”
a. daydreams or thoughts b. music c. details; particulars d. madness; insanity
4) “light which fell so ghastly in that lone turret”
a. room or chamber b. artist's gallery c. tower d. tunnel or cave
5) “the painter (who had high renown) took a fervid and burning pleasure in his task”
a. casual; indifferent b. enthusiastic; intense c. joyful or happy d. evil
6) “wrought day and night to depict her who so loved him”
a. avoided or dodged b. planned; intended to c. worked; labored d. wept or cried
7) “the painter had grown wild with the ardor of his work”
a. fire or devotion b. frustration c. monotony; dullness d. difficulty; effort
8) “even to regard the countenance of his wife”
a. plea or appeal b. appearance; facial features c. well-being; health d. wants or needs
9) “he grew tremulous and very pallid, and aghast, and crying with a loud voice”
a. strong; powerful b. indifferent or uncaring c. quiet or still d. trembling; shaky
10) “he grew tremulous and very pallid, and aghast, and crying with a loud voice”
a. ghoulish; demonic b. breathless; gasping c. exhausted or tired d. horrified or shocked