The Best of Edgar A. Poe

Name _______________________________________________________ Date________________________

The Cask of Amontillado

1. Why did Montresor decide to kill Fortunato?

2. What is ironic about Fortunato's name?

3. What was Fortunato's weak point, and how did Montresor capitalize on it?

4. How does Montresor insure Fortunato will come along?

5. Why does Fortunato continue underground among the catacombs when the nitre is making his cough worse?

6. As they continue, what does Montresor offer to Fortunato? Why?

7. What "sign" of the masons did Montresor give Fortunato?

8. What did Montresor do to Fortunato when they reached the recess where the Amontillado was supposed to
be?

9. Why didn't Fortunato resist?

10. How did Montresor kill Fortunato?

11. Why did Montresor's "heart grow sick"?

12. In the last portion of the story, Montresor often repeats Fortunato's words. What effect does this have?

13. What is ironic about the trowel?

14. How does Montresor have a "double personality"?

15. What is ironic about the time of the murder?

16. What gothic elements are present in this story?

17. What does the first person narrative technique add to the story?

Vocabulary - The Cask of Amontillado

Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues

Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the sentence. Use any
clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior knowledge, and write what you think the
underlined words mean on the lines provided.

1. The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.

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2. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.

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3. ...that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

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4. You have been imposed upon.

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5. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together on the damp ground of the catacombs....

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6. ...looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.

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7. "You are not of the masons."

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8. ...the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame.

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9. ...bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth.

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Part II. Determining the Meaning -- Match the vocabulary words to their definitions.

___ 1. injuries                          A. Casually; randomly

___ 2. impunity                        B. One who builds or works with stone or brick

___ 3. immolation                    C. Forced on another or others

___ 4. imposed                        D. Damage or harm done to or suffered by a person or thing

___ 5. catacombs                    E. Underground cemetery

___ 6. orbs                              F. Exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm

___ 7. masons                         G. Eyes

___ 8. flambeaux                     H. Destruction; being killed

___ 9. promiscuously               I. A lighted torch