Place a checkmark next to each inference the reader needed to make in order to understand "The Cask of Amontillado":

the answer is irony!

the present continuous is a verb tense which is mainly used to indicates that an action is in progress at the moment of speaking.  

it is formed using: person + verb to be (am/is/are) +verb + - ing form  

example: i am studying at this moment .

in addition, the present continuous is also used in order to express things that will or will not happen in the near future.

example: i am having dinner with some friends tonight.

the speaker sometimes   uses it   to express that an action is repeated and it causes irritation on the part of the speaker

example: my sister is constantly complaining about everything.

the answer is subjective. i personally agree with the first answer for this question.

if one isn't strictly talking about objects then the correct answer would be 'my eyes' since according to this riddle i am asleep and in order to answer/open the door i need to open my eyes first of all.

however, if one is specifically looking for an object, then the first thing i would open would be the door

hope this !