23 But the flood was easier started than stemmed. Dares had been given and taken, and, perforce5, the “dare return” had to be set. So matters grew worse and worse.

Question

What is meant by the phrase “the flood was easier started than stemmed” as it is used in paragraph 23?

Responses

The dare pranks resulted in damage to the school that could not be repaired.
The dare pranks resulted in damage to the school that could not be repaired.

The dare pranks were clever and quickly devised, making them difficult to interrupt.
The dare pranks were clever and quickly devised, making them difficult to interrupt.

The students continued to prank the masters at a rate that was hard to stop.
The students continued to prank the masters at a rate that was hard to stop.

The masters took advantage of the students’ interest in dare pranks to get their attention.
The masters took advantage of the students’ interest in dare pranks to get their attention.

Answer 1

The students continued to prank the masters at a rate that was hard to stop.