Question

Read this passage from "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe:

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country.
Which word contributes to the Gothic tone of the passage?
A. heavens
B. oppressively
C. country
D. singularly

Answer 1

B. oppressively

Gothic literature is characterized by it's gloominess, horror, and darkness. Many things in gothic literature are falling apart and decaying - these things can be part of the setting or a character's mental state. In the choices, the only word that demonstrates this destruction and darkness is oppressively.