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Read these lines: "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat." According to the quoted lines, what finally decided the speaker on revenge?
AThe long run of injuries that he had put up with
BAn insult that came on top of the earlier injuries
CA threat that had been made against him in public
DA quarrel over the price of a shipment of wine
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. An insult that came on top of the earlier injuries
1. The quoted lines set two things side by side: a thousand injuries, and one insult.
2. The injuries were borne as well as he could, so they did not move him to act.
3. The word but marks the turn, and the vow of revenge comes only after the insult.
4. That makes the insult the trigger, option B, while option A names the very thing he endured without acting.
_Source: Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado, public domain_
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