Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled. My own fancy grew warm with the Medoc. We had

passed through long walls of piled skeletons, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost

recesses of the catacombs. I paused again, and this time I made bold to seize Fortunato by an arm above the

elbow.

The diction in this excerpt creates a mood of

liveliness and joy

silence and peace

danger and dread

anger and hostility

The correct answer is danger and dread.

Explanation:

The excerpt is part of The Cask of Amontillado, a short story by American poet and writer. It is about Montresor looking for revenge. His target is Fortunato, due to some humiliating past events. Through the revenge, the speaker develops the origin of a kind of wine. Diction refers to the selection of words for a phrase or a sentence.

In the excerpt, the speaker chose words with strong sounds, such as "sparkled" ("rk") or "grew warm" (the "r" very close) or "casks and puncheons intermingling." Through this, the author creates a mood of danger and dread.

Danger and Dread

Explanation:

It states that "We had passed through long walls of piled skeletons, withcask and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs."