illustration of a blade on the end of a pendulum swinging above a man's head

The Pit and the Pendulum

by Edgar Allan Poe

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The Pit and the Pendulum Overview Quiz

What frightening facts can you recall from Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Pit and the Pendulum"? This eNotes quiz will let you see how well you remember this terrible ordeal of torture and insanity by asking you five questions about the narrator’s experience.

  1. What does the narrator first think the tall candles are?

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  2. What painted figure seems to be holding the pendulum that threatens to slice the narrator to pieces?

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  3. Who or what is torturing the narrator?

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  4. Why does the narrator think his torturers bring him bread and water?

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  5. How does the narrator determine the depth of the pit?

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