Item description

Help high school students extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on the Gothic short story “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe (estimated Lexile Measure of 1180). An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. 

By completing this activity, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Provide an objective summary of the plot
• Analyze the intended effect of Poe’s descriptive language
• Analyze the author’s technique to explain whether a suggested revision would be appropriate
• Make logical inferences about characterization
• Articulate how setting influences character actions
• Determine the intended effect(s) of simile
• Apply knowledge of situational irony to the text
• Apply knowledge of anaphora to the text
• Apply knowledge of consonance to the text
• Isolate examples of inversion in a given excerpt
• Identify textual evidence in support of claims
• Define complex vocabulary and phrasing in context
• Write with clarity, logic, and precision

This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.