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Difficulty: MediumNarrative Function of Setting

Read the following passage carefully before choosing your answer.

(1) The road to the quarry was cleaved in two by a dry creek bed, a white scar of limestone
(2) that gleamed under the noon sun. On the left side, the scrub pine grew dense and stunted,
(3) their roots twisting around granite boulders as if attempting to strangle the very earth.
(4) On the right, the land fell away into a series of abandoned terraced gardens, where withered
(5) vines clung to collapsing stone retaining walls. Between these two halves stood Thomas’s
(6) cottage, its slate roof sagging under the weight of moss that seemed to grow thicker
(7) with every passing season of silence. Thomas stood on the threshold, his gaze fixed on
(8) the dividing gully. To cross meant traversing the jagged rocks of the wash, a descent
(9) into the hot, airless ditch before climbing up to the shadowed security of the pine grove,
(10) yet he remained motionless, anchored to the dry timber of his doorway.

In the passage, the description of the divided landscape surrounding Thomas’s cottage serves primarily to accomplish which of the following?

  1. A
    emphasize the physical obstacles that make the quarry road impassable for the local community
  2. B
    detail the specific sequence of physical actions Thomas must perform to cross the gully
  3. C
    reveal the author’s personal preference for wild pine forests over cultivated gardens
  4. dramatize Thomas’s internal conflict and the psychological impasse that prevents him from actingAnswer
  5. E
    document the ecological decay of the abandoned terraced gardens over time

Answer

The description of the divided landscape surrounding Thomas's cottage serves primarily to dramatize Thomas’s internal conflict and the psychological impasse that prevents him from acting.
The correct choice is the one stating that the description dramatizes Thomas’s internal conflict and the psychological impasse that prevents him from acting. The divided landscape (scrub pine on one side, decaying gardens on the other, separated by a dry creek bed) physically represents the emotional and mental divide within Thomas, who remains frozen and 'anchored' on the threshold of his cottage, unable to choose a path or make a move.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the details of the setting and how they are structured around Thomas's cottage.
The setting is divided into two distinct, conflicting halves (dense scrub pine vs. decaying terraced gardens) with a dry creek bed running between them.
To establish the physical layout of the setting and its split nature.
2
Connect Thomas's physical position and actions to the surrounding landscape.
Thomas stands motionless on the threshold of his cottage, staring at the dividing gully and contemplating the difficult crossing, yet remaining anchored to the doorway.
To identify how the character's behavior interacts with the environment.
3
Synthesize the relationship between the setting and the character's internal state.
The split, stagnating landscape and the difficult divide mirror Thomas's own psychological paralysis and division, acting as a physical representation of his internal conflict.
To determine the narrative function of the setting.

Key Concept

Narrative Function of Setting
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Narrative Function of Setting

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