"Gold Bug" Worksheet


Use blue or black ink. Use complete sentences. Incorporate the
question as part of the answer.


Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author gives a
clue, a warning signal in a story about something that will
happen later in the narrative. "The Gold Bug" contains several
examples of foreshadowing. For the following examples, list what
events they foreshadow.


1. LeGrand tells Ned to leave the island and never return.
As Ned runs off, LeGrand shouts, "Watch out! For the quicksand!"
What event does this foreshadow?


2. When Ned visits Jessica Bessop to gather information about
Sullivan's Island, she says," My brother and I used to... collect old ships' things washed up by the storm. They come up pretty quickly out there." What event does this foreshadow?


3. When Ned, LeGrand, and Jupiter hunt for the treasure, LeGrand
seems to tire easily. "The three scramble through the bushes and
briars to the tree LeGrand saw in the telescope...LeGrand who is
puffing hard, grabs at his chest and gasps..." What event does this foreshadow?

4. Early in the story, Agnes gives Ned this advice: “I got a sailor friend who says Captain Kidd buried treasure there. Only there’s no sense looking for it, ‘cause he put a curse on it when they hanged him… They have found skeletons there.” What event does this foreshadow?