Question

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

In the excerpt above, the word surmounted most nearly means _____.

A.mounted upon
B.gotten over or across
C.prevailed over
D.equaled in value

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

How does the use of the word wringing rather than shaking impact the story?

A.The author uses advanced vocabulary to highlight the intelligence of the narrator.
B.The author is creating suspense by foreshadowing the danger that faces Fortunato.
C.The author is emphasizing a negative view of Fortunato.
D.The author is contrasting Montresor’s positive attitude with his actual actions.

I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave. He emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed with a fierce light. He laughed and threw the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not understand.
I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement --a grotesque one.

Which word in the passage above is used to create a feeling of dread?

A.laughed
B.flashed
C.gesticulation
D.grotesque

Answer 1

the answer of the question about dusk is B

Answer 2

1st.: Letter A. Mounted upon.

Although the literal meaning of 'surmounted' is the answers of options B and C, it's not the meaning that it carries in the given context.

2nd.: Letter B.

Although apparently narrating a friendly encounter between Montresor and Fortunato, this excerpt is actually narrating the moment in which one (Montresor) meets the other (Fortunato) with the intention to murder him, in order to 'avenge Fortunato's insults' towards him.

3rd.: Letter D. grotesque.

Grotesque is a synonym of 'bizarre', 'freak'.