Question

the narrator describes the courtiers as resolving \to leave means neither of ingress or egress\ in paragraph 2. what does this description reveal about the courtiers attitudes?
a. the courtiers decision to allow people to leave the abbey but never to re - enter shows that they value collective security over individual freedom.
b. the courtiers believe that the plague will never make it into the abbey, and in their arrogance they leave no options for escape.
c. the courtiers have no desire to ever reconnect with the outside world and wish to build a new society in complete isolation.
d. the courtiers take advantage of the rule that all homes be locked up in times of plague because it gives them an excuse to ignore the peoples suffering.

Explanation:

In Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death, the courtiers retreat to Prince Prospero's abbey to escape the plague. By allowing people to leave but never re - enter, they show a belief that the plague won't reach the abbey (due to their arrogance). This isolation is a key aspect of their flawed plan to avoid the Red Death.

Answer:

B. The courtiers believe that the plague will never make it into the abbey, and in their arrogance they leave no options for escape.