READING ACTIVITY
1/4
THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES
Read the excerpt from Chapter One and then do the
activities below.
At the end of the seventeenth century Pyncheon
Street was known as Maule’s Lane, because Mat-
thew Maule had built a small, simple hut there. He
was a wizard and practiced witchcraft , which was a
crime in the Puritan community.
Colonel Pyncheon was a clever and powerful man in town. He liked
Matthew Maule’s property and wanted it for himself, but Maule re-
fused to sell it to him. The Colonel was a very determined man and
Maule was very stubborn so the disagreement lasted a long time.
After several years, Colonel Pyncheon accused Matthew Maule of
witchcraft and decided to hang him. It was a horrible death sentence.
On the day of the hanging, all the important people from the town
came to watch and cried out passionately against witchcraft. Colonel
Pyncheon was there sitting on his horse shouting loudly too. Mat-
thew Maule pointed a finger at him and said, “God will give him blo-
od to drink!” This was Maule’s curse, which followed the Pyncheon
family for centuries.
After Maule’s death Colonel Pyncheon built a huge family home whe-
re Maule’s small hut had been. The townspeople couldn’t understand
why he wanted to build a house on a place which was cursed. But the
Colonel was a determined man and he began living there.
One day when the governor went to visit Colonel Pyncheon, he found
him dead in his study. The Colonel was sitting at his desk with a pen in
his hand and some letters and other papers in front of him. There was
blood on his beard, shirt collar and neck. The doctor said he had died
of a heart attack, but people talked about murder since the window
near the Colonel’s chair was open and a man was seen running away.
The Pyncheon family became less important over the years. most of
the Colonel’s family were not happy about owning the House of the
Seven Gables, because they knew about Maule’s curse.
At the time of our story, Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, a direct descendant
of Colonel Pyncheon, was a rich and important member of society.
He was similar to his ancestor because he was a clever and powerful
politician. There were few other Pyncheons left: a seventeen year old
girl, a murderer who was in prison and his sister.
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READING ACTIVITY
2/4
EXERCISES
1 Choose the correct answer—a, b, or c.
1. Matthew Maule was
a. a clever and powerful man.
b. a wizard.
c. a murderer.
2. Before the hanging, Matthew Maule
a. cried out passionately.
b. was very frightened.
c. cursed Colonel Pyncheon.
3. The House of the Seven Gables
a. was built by Matthew Maule.
b. was built by Colonel Pyncheon.
c. belonged to seventeen year old girl.
4. Jaffrey Pyncheon was
a. a judge.
b. the Colonel’s son.
c. a doctor.
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READING ACTIVITY
3/4
2 Are the following sentences true (T) or
false (F)?
1. Maule’s Lane was the old name
of Pyncheon Street. T F
2. Witchcraft was considered a crime
in the Puritan community. T F
3. Matthew Maule wanted a lot
of money for his property. T F
4. Colonel Pyncheon built a small
house on Maule’s property. T F
5. The doctor found Colonel Pyncheon
dead in his study. T F
6. A murderer was part of the
Pyncheon family. T F
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