Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

“The Masque of the Red Death” Quiz

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 45mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why do Prince Prospero and his guests lock themselves in the abbey?

a)

to pray in seclusion

b)

to celebrate his birthday

c)

to escape an invading army

d)

to escape the Red Death

2.

What does the black room in the story symbolize?

a)

death and taxation

b)

death and disease

c)

disease and poverty

d)

poverty and oppression

3.

Prince Prospero's guests seem happy and carefree, but they stop celebrating and get very quiet every time the clock chimes. What does this tell you about how they are really feeling?

a)

They are annoyed that the clock keeps interrupting their fun.

b)

They are happy about their flawless escape from the Red Death.

c)

Under their happy exterior, they are still worried about the Red Death.

d)

While they are quiet, they think about how much they dislike Prospero.

4.

What major theme is Poe trying to convey in this story?

a)

God punishes sinners.

b)

One should not attend parties uninvited.

c)

Time passes slowly.

d)

Death is unavoidable.

5.

Prince Prospero objects to the masked stranger because he ___.

a)

arrives uninvited

b)

interrupts the musicians

c)

is costumed as a victim of the Red Death

d)

might contaminate the abbey with the plague.

6.

How do the guests seem to feel about the masked figure’s costume?

a)

They think it is amusing & cute.

b)

They see it as tasteless & horrifying.

c)

They feel it is elaborate & creative.

d)

They find it fascinating & inventive.

7.

Which best describes what the characters in this story are trying to do by coming to the abbey?

a)

They are trying to cheat or defy death.

b)

They want to make peace with death.

c)

They are hoping to teach death a lesson.

d)

They are hoping to bargain with death.

8.

Who is the protagonist in this story?

a)

the Red Death

b)

the guests

c)

Prince Prospero

d)

the Prince’s personal guard

9.

Who is the antagonist in this story?

a)

the Red Death

b)

the guests

c)

Prince Prospero

d)

the Prince’s personal guard

10.

What makes “The Masque of the Red Death” an allegory?

a)

Everyone dies in the end.

b)

The theme is unclear.

c)

The story teaches a lesson about good and evil.

d)

The story has both a literal and symbolic meaning.

11.

Why does Prince Prospero decide to have a masquerade?

a)

to show off his good decorating taste to his friends

b)

to distract everyone from the boredom and fear of their seclusion

c)

to give the musicians and entertainers something to do

d)

to tease the people outside the walls who are suffering and dying of the Red Death

12.

Why do the decorations of the chambers for the party seem so strange and unusual?

a)

Each room is decorated as a medical laboratory which studies the Red Death.

b)

Each room is decorated in the theme of a popular song from the time period.

c)

Each room is decorated with frightening portraits and freakish statues.

d)

Each room is decorated solely in a single color, including lighting for the room.

13.

Few people dare to enter the black apartment because ___.

a)

faces look frightening there, and an ebony clock makes a strange sound

b)

without light, no one can see or dance without causing injury to others

c)

it is the room where Prince Prospero wears the masque of the Red Death

d)

in this room a strange voice can be heard whose origins no one can trace

14.

In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Prince Prospero symbolizes ___.

a)

a terrible, deadly disease that had been spreading through Europe

b)

a future people who learns how to fight infectious diseases successfully

c)

anyone who believes they could escape death by their wealth and power

d)

weak people who were easily infected by and died from bubonic plague

15.

The most eastern, blue room is the first party chamber which symbolizes ___.

a)

the setting sun and death

b)

the rising sun and birth

c)

the riches of Prince Prospero

d)

the safety of the Prince’s abbey