A

1. c 2. a 3. b 4. b 5. c 6. a

B

1. reading
2. evil
3. dizziness
4. was held
5. struck
6. has been condemned
7. slimy
8. glimmer
9. gropes
10. fate
11. skills
12.

Which

13. scratches
14. bruised
15. what Dupin makes of it all

C

Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.
Possible points for inclusion:
1. Everyone was dancing and having a good time, but when the clock began to strike midnight, it all
stopped. At the twelfth chime, I saw a masked stranger enter the blue room. The strangers costume was so
bizarre that it went too far. He had dressed as the Red Death. His clothes were dripping with blood and
there was blood on his face and forehead. At first I was surprised and I disapproved, but then I began to
feel horror. When Prince Prospero saw him, he shook with terror but then he became very angry. He told
us to take off the strangers mask, but we were too afraid to do so. As the stranger walked slowly through
the rooms, I began to shake with fear. The Prince ran after him, pulled out his sword and ran to attack the
stranger. I heard a loud cry and saw the sword fall, then Prince Prospero fell to the floor, dead. We
grabbed the stranger and pulled off his mask and costume, but, to our surprise, they were empty. There
was no-one inside. The stranger was the Red Death.
2. Possible examples to quote from the text:
p.18 the Inquisition sentenced the prisoner to death / they didnt tell him where he was or how he would
die
p.20 he had been tortured / they kept the prisoner waiting for his death sentence to be carried out / the
cell was in complete darkness / he had heard rumours about the terrible deaths of the Inquisition,
but he didnt know how or when he would die
pp.21-23 the description of the cell where the Inquisition had put the prisoner: it is a horrible place / the
prisoner realises he is supposed to die by falling into the pit
p.23 he realises that he is sentenced to death by terrible mental horrors / the water he drank had
something in it which made him fall asleep
p.24 he was now tied with a leather strap and could only move his head and left arm from the elbow
down / he was very thirsty again, as the food he had eaten was heavily spiced, but the water jug
was gone
p.26 the prisoner realises the meaning of the pendulum above him / it took the pendulum hours to get
closer and closer to him / he eats and again feels the terrible thirst
p.28 the pain of the pendulum as it cut through his robe
p.29 the prisoner realises that his torturers are watching every move he makes / he can now see demon
eyes watching him and can smell the smell of heated iron
p.30 the prisoners torturers force him closer and closer to the pit as the room gets hotter and hotter and
the walls move closer together so that the room becomes narrow
3. Pupils could imagine that they are a neighbour / relative / friend / some kind of worker in the house etc.
Their report can include any of the information given in pages 36-40.

F I N A L T E S T
5

A. Choose the correct answer

1. Prince Prospero invited his friends to his castle because
a. he wanted them to admire his magnificent home and his excellent taste.
b. he had planned a special masked ball to celebrate the building of the castle.
c. he thought that they would be safe from illness in the castle.
2. When the stranger arrived at the masked ball,
a. the guests were horrified.
b. everyone agreed that his costume was by far the best.
c. all the other guests continued dancing and laughing.
3. When the prisoner in The Pit and the Pendulum first opened his eyes in his cell,
a. he saw a deep pit in the centre of the room.
b. he could see nothing because the cell was completely dark.
c. he was terrified because a huge pendulum was swinging close to his head.
4. At the very end of The Pit and the Pendulum, the prisoner
a. lost his balance and fell into the pit.
b. was saved from death at the last moment.
c. was pushed up against the walls, which were on fire.
5. Monsieur Dupin knew that a human being had not committed the Rue Morgue murders because
a. the people the police interviewed all said the voices they heard were not human.
b. no human being could have opened the windows, which were tightly locked.
c. the fingerprints and hair that were found were rather strange.
6. When the orang-utang saw the sailors face at the window,
a. he suddenly became scared.
b. he looked for somewhere to hide from his master.
c. he threw Camilles body out of the window.

B. Choose the correct answer

I enjoyed (1. to read / reading)

the three stories in this book, because they are all very different.
The first story is about an (2. evil / carefree)

plague, whose symptoms were sharp pains, bleeding
and a feeling of (3. stains / dizziness)

. Prince Prospero invited his friends to a masked ball which
(4. took hold / was held)

in one of his castles. But when the clock (5. struck / chime)

midnight,
the Red Death arrived and everyone was killed.
In the second story, a prisoner (6. has condemned / has been condemned)

to death by the Inquisition. He is
all alone in his cell, the floor of which is (7. slimy / decayed)

, and there is hardly a (8. blade / glimmer)

of
light. The story is a psychological one, which deals with the prisoners feelings as he (9. gasps / gropes)

his
way around his cell, wondering what his (10. fate / blind hope)

will be.
The final story is my favourite. Monsieur Dupins (11. skills / clues)

as a detective are amazing
and we have to admire his analytical mind. The description of Camilles body, (12. who / which)

is found in
the chimney, covered in (13. shutters / scratches)

and very badly (14. bulging / bruised)

,
is quite horrible, but it is fascinating to see (15. what Dupin makes of it all / how Dupin minds his own
business) and to learn the strange conclusion to the story.

C. Choose one topic and write a paragraph. Your paragraph should be at least 60 words long

1.

Imagine that you survived the plague in

Prince Prosperos castle. Describe the arrival of the stranger at the
Masque, what you thought when you saw him and how you felt as events developed.
2. The theme of The Pit and the Pendulum is mans inhumanity to man. How is this theme shown in the
story? Quote examples from the text to support your answers.
3. Imagine that you knew the LEspanayes. Write a report for the police telling how you knew them and
what information you can supply about their murders.