What is most closely the meaning of the word countenance as it is used in the following passage?

Question

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore —
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
Answer choices for the above question

A. noun | shoes

B. verb | to support

C. verb | to allow

D. noun | facial expression
What is most closely the central theme of the passage below?

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore —
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore —
Nameless here for evermore.
Answer choices for the above question

A. The narrator attempts to distract himself from his grief through reading.

B. The fire throws shadows on the floor that look like ghosts.

C. Lenore no longer has a name because she is dead.

D. The events recounted happened in December.

Answer 1

For the first passage, the most closely matching meaning of the word "countenance" is:

D. noun | facial expression

In this context, "countenance" refers to the facial expression of the raven, contributing to the overall mood of the scene.

For the second passage, the central theme of the passage is:

A. The narrator attempts to distract himself from his grief through reading.

The narrator expresses a longing to escape his sorrow through reading, which emphasizes the theme of attempting to cope with grief.