Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this story. Read this excerpt from “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe.

I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others. I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife. At length, I even offered her personal violence.

Which statements describe the effect of the narrator in this passage?

Select each correct answer.

A Readers are uneasy with the narrator’s growing instability.

B Readers understand that the account given by the narrator is true.

C Readers question the narrator's ability to act rationally.

D Readers know the narrator’s explanation can be trusted.