The Haunting Of Hill House

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How do the residents of Hillsdale treat Eleanor?

A) With disdain and hostility

B) With polite indifference

C) With anger and violence

D) With warmth and consideration

2. Why is the house called Hill House?

A) The house is perched atop a hill.

B) There are many hills behind the house.

C) The house overlooks the town of Hillsdale.

D) The house is ironically on flat land.

3. Chapter 1 begins, “No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.” What is the meaning of the opening sentence of the novel?

A) Insanity is similar to dreaming.

B) Dreaming is a prerequisite for staying sane.

C) Hill House is solid, sturdy, and completely sane.

D) The insane do not dream.

4. Why does Dr. Montague invite Theodora to Hill House?

A) He believes that Theodora will help stabilize Eleanor.

B) He hopes that Theodora will liven up the house with her bright personality.

C) He believes that Theodora might have psychic abilities.

D) He hopes that Theodora will provide rationality in a house that is otherwise not sane.

5. Why does Luke end up staying at Hill House?

A) Luke was invited because of his paranormal abilities.

B) Luke is a nephew of Dr. Montague and will assist him in his studies.

C) Luke has impressive documentation skills and was hired to take notes.

D) Luke will one day inherit the house, and his aunt sent him to stay there.

6. What is Eleanor’s attitude as she drives to Hill House, and why does she feel this way?

A) Eleanor is concerned. She worries about what she will encounter at Hill House.

B) Eleanor is elated. She is proud of herself for making changes and decisions in her own life.

C) Eleanor is indifferent. She knows that she was only invited to Hill House because of her experiences as a child.

D) Eleanor is anxious. She worries about what her sister will think of the fact that she stole the car.

7. What is the tone of the Hillsdale girl’s statement: “Good luck to you. I hope you find your house”?

A) Resentful and foreboding

B) Warm and cheerful

C) Resigned and indifferent

D) Careful and reluctant

8. How does Eleanor describe Hill House after first entering the gate?

A) It is gorgeous and impressive.

B) It is effortlessly designed.

C) It is vile and diseased.

D) It is anticlimactic and underwhelming.

9. How does Theodora’s presence change Eleanor’s perception of Hill House in the beginning?

A) Theodora’s silence creates a sense of calm in the house.

B) Theodora’s brash and rude personality creates a terrifying effect for Eleanor.

C) Theodora’s rustling around in the room beside her makes Eleanor feel a bit more comfortable.

D) Theodora’s calm and gentle personality pulls Eleanor in and makes her wonder if she and Theodora will be close friends.

10. How do the guests speak to each other on arrival?

A) They formally introduce themselves, providing their background and interests.

B) They do not say who they truly are, instead bantering and providing fictional backstories.

C) They are shy with one another and not sure how to proceed in the atmosphere of Hill House.

D) They immediately discuss their roles and what they plan to achieve at Hill House.

11. What is Dr. Montague’s response to the excitement the group feels upon waking up in the house?

A) He is charmed that the group is enjoying themselves so much at the estate.

B) He is puzzled by their behavior and creates a new document in which he will study them more closely.

C) He joins the group in their excitement, offering to play games with the guests.

D) He fears that the excitement the guests feel is a sign they have been possessed by the house.

12. What is the significance of the red paint in Theodora’s room?

A) It resembles blood and is therefore intended to terrify Eleanor into submitting to the house.

B) It is symbolic of Theodora’s traumatic past.

C) It implicates Eleanor because it resembles the toenail polish Theodora painted on Eleanor’s toes.

D) It signifies the brash and terrible nature of Dr. Montague.

13. What do Theodora and Eleanor argue about as they walk out into the gardens of Hill House?

A) Luke

B) Dr. Montague’s intentions

C) Their relationship

D) The supernatural activities they have seen in the house

14. How does Hill House eventually begin communicating with Eleanor?

A) The house ignores Eleanor, contributing to her sense of isolation.

B) The house communicates with Eleanor in the form of poltergeists.

C) The house sends messages to Eleanor through Theodora.

D) The house communicates with Eleanor directly through her mind.

15. In which ways does Eleanor haunt Hill House toward the end of the novel?

A) She rummages through Dr. Montague’s notes and eventually destroys them.

B) She sabotages Mrs. Dudley’s kitchen service by destroying her pots and pans.

C) She bangs on the doors and runs madly about the house.

D) She paints the rooms a brilliant red in the middle of the night.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Why does Eleanor tell the little girl in Chapter 1 to “insist on her cup of stars”? What does this reveal about Eleanor?

2. In Chapter 5, Eleanor admits that she would like to surrender to the house. How do the others respond to this, and why?

3. What happens to Hill House after Eleanor’s death, and why is this significant? What does the house represent on a symbolic level?