Read the following passage carefully:
The high, whitewashed walls of the Batavia Registry Office did little to repel the damp heat rising from the canal outside. Inside, Hendrik sat at his mahogany desk, his collar stiff with dried sweat, meticulously copying land grants into the ledger. Around him, the air was thick with the scent of rotting paper and the vinegar used to keep the mold at bay. Every day, the tropical humidity warped the ledger covers, forcing Hendrik to press them flat with heavy brass weights. The other clerks had long since unbuttoned their waistcoats and surrendered to the lethargy of the afternoon, letting their pens scratch languidly across the parchment. But Hendrik remained buttoned to the chin. To him, the encroaching damp was not merely an inconvenience; it was a physical manifestation of the moral decay he felt threatening the colonial administration. The pristine columns of figures in his ledger were his only defense against the chaotic, untamed wilderness that pressed against the shuttered windows. To yield to the heat, to loosen a single button, would be to concede to the lawlessness of the swamp.
Based on the passage, which of the following best describes how the details of the setting influence or reveal Hendrik’s values?
- Hendrik’s refusal to yield to the damp, oppressive atmosphere reveals his belief that personal discipline and bureaucratic order are essential defenses against moral collapse.Answer
- BThe humid climate and decaying ledger covers represent the literal physical challenges of working in a tropical environment, which Hendrik intends to escape.
- CThe physical setting forces Hendrik to use heavy brass weights to press the ledger covers flat while copying figures.
- DThe contrast between the neat ledgers and the humid wilderness highlights a simple battle of good versus evil between the civil service and the swamp.
- EThe decaying paper and stifling air demonstrate the author’s critique of the colonial system's inefficiency and failure to adapt.