Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. How long does Dr. Montague plan to stay at Hill House?

2. Why does Dr. Montague rent Hill House?

3. How many years has Eleanor taken care of her mother?

4. Why does Dr. Montague invite Eleanor?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How is Hill House described in the opening paragraph, and how does this description differ from typical descriptions of haunted houses?

2. How does the narrator describe Eleanor in the first chapter of the novel?

3. How does the narrator describe Theodora, and how is her character similar to or different from Eleanor’s?

4. How do Carrie and her husband treat Eleanor when she attempts to take the car to Hill House?

5. How does Theodora’s attitude toward Hill House differ from Eleanor’s?

6. By the end of Chapter 2, how would you describe Theodora and Eleanor’s relationship?

Paired Resource

“Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders: What Is Dissociation?”

• This resource defines dissociation and explains its causes.
• Connects to the theme of The Fragility of Identity
• In Chapters 1 and 2 of The Haunting of Hill House, Eleanor spends much time fantasizing, and she even thinks about taking on a new identity as she approaches the house.