Question
Passage 2
Excerpt from Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
As a student of medicine, Victor Frankenstein tirelessly pursues his passion to be a creator, to shape a being and give it the spark of life.
8 It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment
of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.
9 How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white1 sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. glish II, Subpar
1dun-white: a grayish color
10 The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing2 my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. . . .
2traversing: moving across or through
Excerpt from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In the public domain.
The following item has two parts. Answer Part A and then answer Part B.
Part A
Which sentence best expresses a central idea of passage 2?
a
A scientist suffers delusions from long periods of solitude.
b
A creator feels an unexpected revulsion for his creation.
c
An ordinary man represses his human emotions in a sterile, scientific environment.
d
An inventor persists in pursuing his goal despite criticism from peers.
Excerpt from Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
As a student of medicine, Victor Frankenstein tirelessly pursues his passion to be a creator, to shape a being and give it the spark of life.
8 It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment
of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.
9 How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white1 sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. glish II, Subpar
1dun-white: a grayish color
10 The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing2 my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. . . .
2traversing: moving across or through
Excerpt from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In the public domain.
The following item has two parts. Answer Part A and then answer Part B.
Part A
Which sentence best expresses a central idea of passage 2?
a
A scientist suffers delusions from long periods of solitude.
b
A creator feels an unexpected revulsion for his creation.
c
An ordinary man represses his human emotions in a sterile, scientific environment.
d
An inventor persists in pursuing his goal despite criticism from peers.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Part A
The sentence that best expresses a central idea of passage 2 is:
**b**
A creator feels an unexpected revulsion for his creation.
This choice captures the primary emotional conflict Victor Frankenstein experiences after bringing his creature to life, as he feels horror and disgust instead of the awe he anticipated.
The sentence that best expresses a central idea of passage 2 is:
**b**
A creator feels an unexpected revulsion for his creation.
This choice captures the primary emotional conflict Victor Frankenstein experiences after bringing his creature to life, as he feels horror and disgust instead of the awe he anticipated.