Historical Context
This is the time period during which Poe lived, when production of goods increased and a transition from an agrarian lifestyle to city living took place.
The Industrial Revolution
Where was Poe born?
Boston, Massachusetts
What was the name of the military academy that Poe briefly attended?
WestPoint
During what historical event did the story “The Pit and the Pendulum” take place?
The Spanish Inquisition
The insult that Fortunato inflicts on Montresor
Is not revealed in the story
These are the 2 literary movements that took place in response to the Industrial Revolution.
Romanticism and Gothic
What did Poe’s biological parents do for a living?
Traveling actors
What was the name of Poe’s cousin that he eventually married?
Virginia Clemm
The narrator of the story is faced with his most difficult mental torture in the form of what?
His knowledge of the pit
When Fortunato offers to judge the wine, Montresor responds by
Pretends to be eager
As a result of society's transition from agriculture, people began moving into large cities for work. What was this transition known as?
urbanization
What was the name of Poe’s stepfather?
John Allan
What city did Poe die in?
Baltimore, Maryland
The narrator begins the story by awakening, but he hesitates to open his eyes. What is he most afraid of seeing?
Darkness
Why does Montresor tell his servants that, even though he will not return until morning, they are not to leave the house?
He knows this will make them leave
The conditions in newly developed city centers at this time were .
disgusting
What did Poe’s stepfather do for a living?
Tobacco merchant
The style of writing which Poe is most famously known for is what?
Gothic
What happens when the narrator drops a piece of masonry into the pit and it splashes at the bottom?
The door to the cell quickly opens and shuts
If Fortunato had not been under the influence of alcohol, he might have wondered why Montresor
was carrying a trowel
Someone that is experiencing a longing for the past, perhaps a past way of life, is said to be experiencing what?
nostalgia
What university did Poe briefly attend?
University of Virginia
Poe considered the father of the modern what?
Detective Story
After the narrator avoids the faith of the pit, he is drugged and falls asleep. When he wakes up, what has changed?
He is tied up on his back
Montresor stops working when Fortunato begins rattling his chains because Montresor
Worries that someone will hear