The Pit and the Pendulum Assessment

In The Pit and the Pendulum, why does the narrator rip off a piece of his robe and put it on the wall?

• to mark the perimeter

• to make a collage

• it was bothering him

Where is the story set?

• Toledo, Spain

• Paris, France

• Rome, Italy

• Chicago, Illinois

What is Poe's tone in the story?

• Serious and boring

• Happy and Joyfull

• Humorous and light 

• Dark, Serious, and Urgent

What is the mood of the story?

• Nervewracking and stressful

• Suspenseful, mysterious, and horrifying

• Optimistic and hopeful

• Fun and lively

What does the narrator find when he trips?

• pit

• bulldog

• rats everywhere

• food 

How does Poe create suspense in this excerpt?

• by describing the narrator's distress as he tries to figure out where he is

• by having the narrator reach out and touch something unidentified

• by indicating that a long time has passed since the narrator was sentenced

• by suggesting that the narrator is reacting with an unrealistic degree of panic

The story is told from which point of view?

• Third-person-limited view of a member of the French army

• Omniscient view of the author

• Third-person view of the inquisitor

• First-person view of the prisoner

When he comes to after fainting, what does the narrator remember?

• Shadowy figures carrying him to a strange damp place

• His childhood and his parents

• His wife and children back home

• His previous stay in the dungeon

The narrator is afraid that he will find himself in a tomb because he —

• fears that he will be taken from the tomb and tortured

• fears that he has been buried alive

• has always been afraid of tombs

• suspects the tomb will plunge into a bottomless pit

When the narrator is sentenced to die, the authorities provide him with food because they —

• feel very sorry for him

• left the food there by mistake

• plan more punishments before he dies

• always feed their prisoners until the end