Dusk

Question

by H.H. Munro (Saki)

Norman Gortsby sat on a bench in the Park, with his back to a strip of bush-planted sward, fenced by the park railings, and the Row fronting him across a wide stretch of carriage drive. Hyde Park Corner, with its rattle and hoot of traffic, lay immediately to his right. It was some thirty minutes past six on an early March evening, and dusk had fallen heavily over the scene, dusk mitigated by some faint moonlight and many street lamps. There was a wide emptiness over road and sidewalk, and yet there were many unconsidered figures moving silently through the half-light, or dotted unobtrusively on bench and chair, scarcely to be distinguished from the shadowed gloom in which they sat.

The scene pleased Gortsby and harmonised with his present mood. Dusk, to his mind, was the hour of the defeated. Men and women, who had fought and lost, who hid their fallen fortunes and dead hopes as far as possible from the scrutiny of the curious, came forth in this hour of gloaming, when their shabby clothes and bowed shoulders and unhappy eyes might pass unnoticed, or, at any rate, unrecognised.

A king that is conquered must see strange looks, So bitter a thing is the heart of man.

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Question
Look at the image. Use the passage to answer the question.

Graphic shows a plot diagram, with three parts (each illustrated with a match). The Beginning (an unlit match) includes the exposition and conflict. The Middle (a lit match) includes the rising action and climax. The End (a burnt match) includes the falling action and resolution.
Source: VectorMine. Shutterstock

Which detail would be included in the middle of the plot diagram shown in the image?

Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses
which two answers are correct and why

After listening to his story, Gortsby accuses the young man of lying because he cannot produce the cake of soap that forms part of his story.
After listening to his story, Gortsby accuses the young man of lying because he cannot produce the cake of soap that forms part of his story.

After the young man leaves, Gortsby finds a cake of soap lying on the bench and believes that the young man left it there.
After the young man leaves, Gortsby finds a cake of soap lying on the bench and believes that the young man left it there.

After Gortsby loans the young man money for a hotel room, the elderly gentleman returns to the bench to look for a lost cake of soap.
After Gortsby loans the young man money for a hotel room, the elderly gentleman returns to the bench to look for a lost cake of soap.

After sitting next to Gortsby on the bench in Hyde Park, the elderly man rises to leave and Gortsby imagines where he will go.
After sitting next to Gortsby on the bench in Hyde Park, the elderly man rises to leave and Gortsby imagines where he will go.

After Gortsby finds the cake of soap on the bench, he tracks down the young man to return the soap and to loan him money for a hotel room.
After Gortsby finds the cake of soap on the bench, he tracks down the young man to return the soap and to loan him money for a hotel room.
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Answer 1

To determine which details would be included in the middle of the plot diagram, we need to look for events that reflect the rising action and climax of the story.

The correct answers are:

1. After listening to his story, Gortsby accuses the young man of lying because he cannot produce the cake of soap that forms part of his story.

   • This moment is significant as it represents the climax of the tension between Gortsby and the young man. The accusation indicates a turning point in the interaction where Gortsby’s doubts about the young man come to a head.

2. After the young man leaves, Gortsby finds a cake of soap lying on the bench and believes that the young man left it there.

   • This event comes immediately after Gortsby’s confrontation and is crucial as it leads to Gortsby’s realization of his misjudgment. It enhances the rising action by creating a twist in the narrative, pushing the story towards its resolution.

These two events are pivotal in structuring the middle of the plot, as they build upon the conflict and lead toward the climax and eventual resolution of the story.