Question

Select the correct inference of the given passage from "The Cask of Amontillado."

"The nitre!" I said; "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. Come, we will go back ere it is too late. Your cough--"
"It is nothing," he said; "let us go on.

The narrator is worried about the nitre on the walls of the vault.
The narrator knows it is already too late for Fortunato to escape.
Fortunato is worried about the moisture and bones in the vaults.
Fortunato wants to continue their descent into the vaults for the Amontillado.

Answer 1

The narrator knows it is already too late for Fortunato to escape.

Answer 2

Answer: I would contend that the right answer is the B) The narrator knows it is already too late for Fortunato to escape.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that even though he appears to show concern for Fortunato's health, Montresor, the narrator, is only faking that concern, since his plan is to end with his friend's life, who has humiliated him for so long. He knows that Fortunato is thrilled to taste the Amontillado, and by pretending that he is concerned about his health and his exposure to the harmful nitre, he is only prompting Fortunato's excitement, while progressively reducing his possiblities of escaping.