Which setting would best develop the theme in a play whose tragic hero’s weakness is a lack of respect for authority?

Which three sentences in this excerpt from arthur conan doyle's "the contest" suggest that the author's tone is mocking?

In edgar allen poe's "masque of the red death", what object is kept in the black room?

Which of the following words in bold means “to put before something else”? a) the broken device sat unused in a box. b) jose wanted to defermaking a decision about college until the spring. c) ashok’s counsel was to go to the store tomorrow. d) i would prefer to go to a movie this weekend instead of the play.