The Pit and the Pendulum
1. Write a brief summary of the story.
2. To what fate has the narrator been sentenced?
3. What does his immediate reaction tell you about his state of mind?
4. How does the narrator determine the size of his prison?
5. Why might the pit give the narrator such a sense of terror?
6. What horror does the narrator face after avoiding the pit?
7. Why do you think the narrator responds the way he does to the second horror?
8. Why is the third method of torture especially frightening for the narrator?
9. How would you describe the mood or atmosphere of this story? How does Poe achieve this effect?
