The Cask of Amontillado Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. What does the Montresor family motto, “Nemo me impune lacessit,” mean in context?
No one attacks me with impunity
Truth is revealed through wine
Fortune favors those who wait
Death comes equally to every family
2. Which image appears on the Montresor family coat of arms?
A golden foot crushing a serpent whose fangs are embedded in the heel
A raven perched above a broken wine cask
A masked figure holding a torch over crossed swords
A lion standing above a chain and a field of bells
3. Why is Amontillado especially effective as Montresor’s bait?
Fortunato secretly owns every cask of Amontillado in the city
It is the only wine that can safely be stored near nitre
Its supposed rarity and uncertain authenticity appeal to Fortunato’s claimed expertise
Its name is part of the Montresor family motto
4. Montresor drinks to Fortunato’s “long life” while leading him deeper into the vaults. Which literary effect does this create?
A flashback, because the toast recalls an earlier carnival celebration
Comic relief, because both men have temporarily forgotten their disagreement
Dramatic irony, because Montresor and the reader understand the toast’s grim contradiction
An objective prediction, because Fortunato later escapes and lives for many years
5. Near the end, Montresor calls to Fortunato and receives no spoken reply. What sound answers him instead?
A jingling of bells
Footsteps moving beyond the niche
The breaking of a wine bottle
The collapse of loose bones
6. Which combination offers the clearest physical evidence that Montresor prepared the killing in advance?
Fortunato wears bells, and Montresor carries a torch
Chains are fixed in the recess, and masonry materials are ready nearby
The vaults contain wine, and the walls are coated with nitre
The carnival is crowded, and the palazzo is outside the city
7. What does Montresor identify as the final provocation that leads him to seek revenge against Fortunato?
Fortunato refuses to repay a large debt
Fortunato challenges his family’s ownership of the vaults
Fortunato sells him falsely labeled wine
Fortunato insults him after causing many previous injuries
8. What does Montresor’s closing phrase, “In pace requiescat,” mean?
Justice has finally been served
No insult can be forgotten
Wine reveals the truth
Rest in peace
9. Montresor repeatedly suggests that Luchesi could judge the Amontillado instead. What is the main purpose of this tactic?
To arrange for Luchesi to meet them in the vaults
To provoke Fortunato’s competitive pride and keep him moving forward
To warn Fortunato that the wine may be dangerous to drink
To admit that Luchesi has greater expertise than Fortunato
10. When Fortunato asks whether Montresor is a Mason, Montresor produces a trowel. Why is this moment significant?
It proves that Montresor belongs to Fortunato’s secret society
It shows that Montresor intends to repair the damp vault walls
It turns “Mason” into a grim pun and foreshadows Montresor’s use of masonry
It reassures Fortunato that the Amontillado cask is protected
11. Fortunato is coughing and the vaults are unhealthy, yet he continues. Which explanation best fits his behavior?
He believes the nitre will cure his illness once he becomes accustomed to it
He is searching the catacombs for a missing member of his family
He knows that Luchesi has already reached the cask and wants to confront him
His pride and desire to verify the Amontillado outweigh Montresor’s apparent warnings
12. What does the nitre on the catacomb walls most directly reveal about the setting?
The family uses the vaults to manufacture gunpowder
The stored Amontillado has leaked from its cask
The walls have recently been painted white
The underground vaults are extremely damp
13. What physically prevents Fortunato from escaping the recess before Montresor completes the wall?
A locked iron gate separates him from the passage
He is chained to the granite inside the niche
A pile of human bones blocks the only exit
He becomes unconscious after drinking poisoned wine
14. What is Fortunato wearing when Montresor encounters him at the carnival?
A tight-fitting motley outfit and a conical cap with bells
A military coat decorated with family medals
A monk’s robe with a rope around the waist
A dark cloak and a mask shaped like a raven
15. How does the carnival setting mainly help Montresor carry out his plan?
It legally permits citizens to enter private catacombs
It creates a public wine contest that distracts Fortunato
Its crowds, costumes, and celebration make secrecy and disguise easier
It requires household servants to remain in the streets overnight
16. Which trait of Fortunato does Montresor most effectively exploit?
His fear of damaging his family’s reputation
His pride in his ability to judge fine wine
His desire to purchase Montresor’s property
His belief that Montresor owes him money