Question

Highlight details that show the mood.

But her husband was on his hands and knees groping wildly on the floor in search of the paw. If he could only find it before the thing outside got in. A perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house, and he heard the scraping of a chair as his wife put it down in the passage against the door. He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish.

—"The Monkey's Paw,"
W. W. Jacobs

What is the mood of this passage?

worried
cheerful
depressed
accepting

Answer 1

The mood of the passage is **worried**. The husband's frantic search for the paw and the description of the "perfect fusillade of knocks" create a tense atmosphere, suggesting urgency and fear. The actions of the wife, such as putting the chair against the door and the creaking of the bolt, further enhance the sense of impending danger and anxiety. Overall, the scene conveys a feeling of desperation and dread.