Utopia Magazine

The Pit and the Pendulum


This is an extract from "The Pit and the Pendulum", a short story written by that master of horror tales. Edgar Allan Poe. It is a story of the Spanish Inquisition, a religious court of law once very powerful in Spain. The Spanish Inquisition's work was to find and punish people whose religious beliefs and practices did not agree with those of the Church. Their punishments were often extremely cruel and severe.

In great fear, I saw that the lower end of the pendulum was formed of a blade of shining steel, shaped like the new moon, and about a foot in length from point to point. The ends of the blade turned upward; and the lower edge looked as sharp as a razor. Like a razor also, it seemed heavy and solid above. It was fixed to a thick rod of brass, and the whole whistled as it swung through the air.

I could no longer doubt the death that had been prepared for me by the human devils of the Inquisition. I had avoided the pit by a mere accident, and I knew that surprise was an important part of the cruelty of these prison deaths. As I had failed to fall, I was not simply to be thrown into the well. A different and a milder destruction was made ready for me. Milder! I trembled as I thought about the word.

What use is it to tell of the long, long hours of suffering that followed, during which I counted the swings of the steel ? Inch by inch it fell -- down and still down it came ! The downward movement was extremely slow, and it was only after several hours that I noticed any increase in the length of the brass rod. Days passed -- it might have been many days-before the blade swept so closely over me as to fan me with its bitter breath. The smell of the sharp steel came to me in waves. I prayed for it to reach me quickly. I struggled to force myself upwards against the razor-sharp edge, as it swung across my body. And then I grew suddenly calm, and lay smiling at the shining death, as a child smiles at some bright jewel.

For a short time I lost consciousness. When my senses returned, I felt sick and weak; but in spite of my suffering, I wanted food. With painful effort I reached for the few pieces of meat beside me. As I put some of it to my lips, a half-formed thought of joy -- of hope -- rushed into my mind. I struggled to make it complete, but it escaped me. Long suffering had nearly killed all my ordinary powers of mind.

The swing of the pendulum was across my body -- directly across my heart. It would first touch the cloth of my wrap; it would return and cut deeper -- again -- and again. In spite of its wide swing (which was now thirty feet or more), and its great speed, it would not, for several minutes. cut into my flesh. At this thought, I paused. I dared not think further. I watched the blade as it flew above me.
Down -- steadily down it crept. To the right -- to the left -- far and wide -- with the terrible whistle of death ! Down certainly down within three inches of my chest ! I struggled violently to free my left arm. I shook and turned my head at every swing. I opened and closed my eyes as the bright blade flashed above me. Oh, what wonderful relief if I could die !


1. We can conclude from information given in the introduction that the Spanish Inquisition


(A) was hated by Edgar Allan Poe
(B) strongly defended the Church, its beliefs and practices.
(C) was an ordinary court of law.
(D) was intolerant of religious beliefs and practices.

2. What effect did the sight of the pendulum have on the prisoner ?

(A) It fascinated him.
(B) It filled him with curiosity.
(C) It frightened him.
(D) It puzzled him.

3. "the whole" refers to

(A) the sharp edge of the blade.
(B) the blade of shining steel.
(C) the thick rod of brass.
(D) the pendulum

4. The expression "human devils" suggests that the members of the Spanish Inquisition

(A) were irreligious and irreverent.
(B) were very brave.
(C) were men who communed with devils.
(D) were persons who behave very cruelly.

5. which statement about the punishments of the Spanish Inquisition is false ?

(A) They ere cruel.
(B) They were extremely severe.
(C) They were sometimes mild.
(D) They usually contained an element of surprise.

6. In what sense does the writer use the word "Milder !"

(A) He uses the word with the usual meaning of "less severe".
(B) He uses the word to convey the severity of the punishment.
(C) He uses the word to suggest that the punishment was actually more severe.
(D) He uses the word without intending any significance.

7. The pendulum had the unusual characteristic of

(A) swinging extremely slowly.
(B) increasing in size.
(C) rising and falling.
(D) falling slowly with each swing.

8. What evidence is there in the third paragraph to show that the prisoner was losing his mind ?

(A) He could smell the steel of the pendulum.
(B) He prayed to die quickly.
(C) He tried to thrust himself up against the pendulum.
(D) He lay smiling calmly at the pendulum.

9. "Long suffering had nearly killed all my ordinary powers of mind." This is shown when the prisoner

(A) craved for food in spite of his suffering.
(B) became joyful when he should have remained miserable.
(C) began to hope although his situation was hopeless.
(D) could not think an idea through however hard he tried.

10. The last sentence shows that the prisoner

(A) had totally lost his sanity.
(B) would enjoy the death designed for him.
(C) thought death marvellous and exciting.
(D) looked upon death as a release from suffering.