Curated set · answers marked
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," what action does Prince Prospero take to avoid the plague known as the Red Death?
AHe flees to a neighboring kingdom and seeks asylum
BHe locks himself and a thousand nobles inside his fortified abbey to wait out the pestilence✓
CHe instructs his physicians to create a cure for the disease
DHe disguises himself as a peasant to move freely through the countryside
What does the ebony clock in Prince Prospero's abbey symbolize in "The Masque of the Red Death"?
AThe wealth and power of Prince Prospero
BThe inevitability of death and the passage of time✓
CThe festive spirit of the masquerade ball
DThe mystery of the seven colored rooms
Rationale
Each time the ebony clock chimes, the partygoers become uneasy and the music halts, serving as a reminder — both to them and to the reader — that time is relentlessly moving toward an unavoidable conclusion. The clock acts as a persistent memento mori, emphasizing the story's main theme that death is inescapable, regardless of efforts to evade it.
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," what does the ebony clock in the seventh room likely represent?
AThe wealth and power of Prince Prospero
BThe passage of time and the inevitability of death✓
CThe festive spirit of the masquerade ball
DThe mysterious origin of the Red Death plague
Rationale
The ebony clock in the dark seventh room chimes ominously each hour, prompting all the partygoers to stop and turn pale. Its persistent ticking symbolizes the unrelenting passage of time and serves as a constant reminder of the inevitability of death — a key theme of the story.