"The Cats of Ulthar" by H.P. Lovecraft Quiz, Close Reading, and Vocabulary Games Bundle

Gothic fantasy and horror are genres that maximize many high school students' engagement with literature. "The Cats of Ulthar" by H.P. Lovecraft is a macabre short story featuring savage neighbors, an avenging curse, and flesh-eating felines—making it an especially chilling choice for the Halloween season. With this bundle of high school resources for teaching "The Cats of Ulthar," English teachers will save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. Included are the following: a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a worksheet composed of rigorous close reading questions; a crossword puzzle; a word search activity; a vocabulary application worksheet; the public domain narrative; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.)

By completing the quiz, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• The narrator's perception of cats

• The longtime existence of cats

• The old couple's terrible reputation

• The community's general disposition toward the couple

• The paintings on the travelers' caravan

• The characterization of Menes

• The sudden disappearance of the cats

• A change in the cats' physical appearance upon their return

• The fate of the old couple

• Peculiar discoveries inside the old couple's house

• A change in the law

By completing the close reading analysis worksheet, students will:

• Discern a key purpose of the mythological allusions delivered in the exposition

• Draw parallels between the author's choices and knowledge of cat-related proverbs

• Explore the antagonistic characterization of the community's old couple

• Examine the narrator's feelings toward the people of Ulthar

• Explore the greater significance of imagery from a mythological perspective

• Investigate the author's decision to name a key character after an Egyptian figure

• Discern the functions of several paragraphs

• Apply knowledge of a variety of literary devices including personification, irony, inversion, and onomatopoeia

• Make logical inferences about the author's decision to include two seemingly insignificant details

• Identify and explain a significant example of foreshadowing in the story

• Argue whether the people of Ulthar are better or worse off for having gone through their experiences

• Support claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence

• Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

By completing the vocabulary activities, students will:

• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words

• Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings

• Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences

This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.

Resources are available for a variety of Gothic novels and short stories:

• Dracula by Bram Stoker - Google and printable

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Google and printable

• "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe - Google and printable

• "The Hound" by H.P. Lovecraft - Google and printable

• "The Monkey’s Paw" by W. W. Jacobs - Google and printable

• "The Outsider" by H.P. Lovecraft - Google and printable

• "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Google and printable