Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions

Rikki Tikki Tavi

Sing a Song of Sixpence

The Adventure of the Dying Detective

The Cask of Amontillado

The Damned Thing

The Door in the Wall

The Lost Sanjak

The Mass of Shadows

The Nice People

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Rikki Tikki Tavi

1. The narrator of the story says that the motto of the curious mongoose family is "Run and Find out." Can you come up with mottos for the dog family or the cat family? What about farm animals you may have known?
2. Kipling uses personification to give the animals human characteristics. What traits does Rikki Tikki Tavi possess? What about Nag and Nagaina?
3. Why did Kipling name the cobras Nag and Nagaina? What do those names make you think of?

Sing a Song of Sixpence

1. What are the character traits that served Gilligren so well in his journey?
2. How much of a person's success is due to those traits versus luck or chance? Can you think of times in your life when both came to play to help you?
3. Can you think of other nursery rhymes that might have more interesting backstories? How about "Row Row Row Your Boat" or "Baa Baa Black Sheep"?

The Adventure of the Dying Detective

1. Could you go without food or drink for 3 days like Sherlock did, in order to get a confession?
2. Was it ethically right for Sherlock to cause worry and alarm among his housekeeper and friend to catch a criminal? Is it ok to lie in the cause of a greater good, or is a lie always bad?
3. Have you ever acted in a play or musical? Do you have theatrical talents?

The Cask of Amontillado

1. The man exacting revenge is named Montresor. In French, "mon terror" means "my treasure." Is there any significance to this name in the story?
2. Montresor is a scheming, manipulative man. How does Montresor manipulate Fortunato?
3. In the beginning of the story, Montresor ticks off the necessary elements of revenge. Does he achieve this with Fortunato?

The Damned Thing

1. Could the title of the story, The Damned Thing, have multiple meanings?
2. How would you behave if you were like the creature, unseen by human eyes?
3. Why did the inquest jury vote that death was caused by mountain lion, when first—hand testimony clearly refutes that conclusion?

The Door in the Wall

1. Do you believe Wallace's story about the door and the garden? Can you think of other explanations for his memories?
2. Think about doors you've walked through in your life: the door to your house, the door to your office, the door to your parents' house? The door to a church? How did you feel walking through those doors?
3. Could the doors and garden in the story be a metaphor for choices we make in life, the "doors" we choose to open and the "doors" we pass by? Are there any "doors" you wish you had opened but didn't?

The Lost Sanjak

1. The prisoner only wanted to tell his story to someone who will give it a respectful hearing. Did the chaplain give it a respectful hearing?
2. The prisoner blames his lack of specialized education for his coming death. What do you blame for his death?
3. Saki is known as a satirist. Can you identify any moments of sly humor in the story?

The Mass of Shadows

1. Do you believe in ghosts? If so, do you think they retain their personality traits in the afterlife? If they were mean or jealous or comedic in life, are they the same in death?
2. What caused Catherine Fontaine's death?
3. Do you think some people have the power to associate with the dead, like the narrator claims he has?

The Nice People

1. Until the Bredes are leaving the inn and rice flies out of Mrs. Brede's parasol, the other guests are suspicious of the couple. What does this story say about jumping to conclusions?
2. Do you attempt to see the best in people and try to give people the benefit of the doubt?
3. Do you think the Bredes were, in fact, nice people? Why or why not?