"The Pit and the Pendulum" Quiz, Close Reading Activity, and Vocabulary Games

"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe is a short story of special appeal to high school students interested in horror stories and Halloween. With this bundle of assessment materials, English teachers will save valuable time without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. Included are the following: a plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive bundle option is available.) By engaging with these materials, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly

• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words

• Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings

• Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences

• Consider the role punctuation plays in terms of developing suspense and advancing plot with an emphasis on em dashes

• Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions of Dark Romanticism

• Determine the effects of the author's language and narrative techniques

• Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop

• Apply knowledge of literary devices with an emphasis on allusion, metaphor, onomatopoeia, paradox, personification, sibilance, situational irony, and more

• Articulate how the author establishes and maintains a surreal tone throughout the story

• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence

• Write about Gothic fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision

This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.

More materials are available for teaching dark fantasy and horror:

• Creative Writing Unit Plan for Gothic Fiction - Google and printable

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Google and printable

• The Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Volume 1) - Google and printable

• The Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Volume 2) - Google and printable

• The Works of H.P. Lovecraft (Volume 1) - Google and printable

• The Works of H.P. Lovecraft (Volume 2) - Google and printable