Question

Difficulty: MediumPlot Summary and Narrative Events

In a prescribed prose narrative set at a remote telegraph relay station, which key narrative event causes the chief operator to abandon his post during the midnight storm?

  1. The discovery of an intercepted official wire confirming his brother's wrongful arrest in the capitalAnswer
  2. B
    The structural collapse of the station's transmission tower caused by a severe lightning strike
  3. C
    The unexpected arrival of a military squad demanding the surrender of the station's logbooks
  4. D
    A written dispatch from the regional director relieving him of emergency night duty

Answer

The chief operator abandons his post due to the discovery of an intercepted official wire confirming his brother's wrongful arrest in the capital.
The protagonist's sudden decision to leave his post is directly caused by intercepting news of his brother's unlawful detention, serving as the central dramatic turning point of the chapter.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the chief operator's motivation and the key turning point in the plot.
Identified that personal crisis overrides professional duty upon reading the wire.
The narrative explicitly links his sudden departure to the contents of the secret message regarding his brother.
2
Evaluate distractors to distinguish core plot catalysts from secondary plot details.
Environmental factors like the storm and tower damage provide atmosphere but do not trigger his decision.
Accurate plot summary requires differentiating character-driven catalysts from background setting events.

Key Concept

Plot Summary and Narrative Events
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