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“The Masque of the Red Death” Reading Comprehension Questions
20 Points

Part One: The Red Death

1. Read the first paragraph of the story by answering the following:

a. What is the Red Death?
b. What are some symptoms of the Red Death?
c. What is the pest pan, or official declaration, that you have the Red Death?
d. How long does it take to die from it?

Part Two: Prince Prospero’s Solution and Castle

2. Explain/Summarize Prince Prospero’s solution to the Red Death (2-3 sentences)

3. Summarize the layout of the rooms in Prince Prospero’s castle:

a. How many rooms were there?
b. What was “bizarre” about the way the rooms were arranged?
c. In terms of direction (north, south east, and west), how were the rooms laid out?
d. What is the creepy feature about the lighting for each room?
e. Which room is the scariest?
f. What item is only in the scariest room?

Part Three: The Party Scene

4. Answer the following questions about the masquerade party:

a. What are four adjectives that describe the social setting and decorations of the fete, or party?
b. When the narrator speaks of dreams at the party, he says the dreams, “stalked,” writhed,” and “stand.” What literary device is this and example of?

Part Four: The Masked Figure

5. Answer the following questions about the masked figure who appears suddenly at the party:
a. What descriptive language from the story shows the party-goers’ reaction to the masked figure?
b. What was it about the masked figure that makes him stand out so much (again, use details from the text)?
c. By the end of the story, what might the masked figure represent?