Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe masterfully employs suspense and symbolism to create a chilling tale of revenge.

• How does Poe build suspense throughout the story, and what effect does it have on the reader’s experience? (topic sentence)
• Analyze specific examples of suspenseful moments and how they build toward the story’s climax.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss the significance of the suspense in enhancing the theme of Revenge in the story.

2. The narrator, Montresor, embodies the theme of Deception and Devious Calculation as the story unfolds.

• What role does deception play in Montresor’s plot for revenge? (topic sentence)
• Provide examples from the text that reveal how carefully Montresor has planned his revenge and how he deceives Fortunato as he puts the plan into action.