The following question refers to “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe. Of the following aspects of the story, which one is based on exaggeration rather than historical accuracy?

The story uses the Spanish Inquisition as its historical setting, and Toledo is a real Spanish city. The French general Lasalle was also a real historical figure. Poe’s elaborate torture devices and methods, however, are presented as dramatic inventions rather than accurate descriptions of historical practice, so “the elaborate tortures” is the answer.

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