Question
Consider these versions of The War of the Worlds.
Excerpt 1, from H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds:
I think everyone expected to see a man emerge—possibly something a little unlike us terrestrial men, but in all essentials a man. I know I did. But, looking, I presently saw something stirring within the shadow: greyish billowy movements, one above another, and then two luminous disks—like eyes. Then something resembling a little grey snake, about the thickness of a walking stick, coiled up out of the writhing middle, and wriggled in the air towards me—and then another.
Excerpt 2, from Howard E. Koch's script for Orson Welles's radio adaptation:
PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone's crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . .
(SHOUT OF AWE FROM THE CROWD)
PHILLIPS: Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me.
Which statement best describes the difference between these versions?
A: The radio adaptation shares more factual information than the novel.
B: The radio adaptation shares more humorous insight than the novel.
C: The radio adaptation is more frenzied than the novel.
D: The radio adaptation is more cheerful than the novel.
Excerpt 1, from H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds:
I think everyone expected to see a man emerge—possibly something a little unlike us terrestrial men, but in all essentials a man. I know I did. But, looking, I presently saw something stirring within the shadow: greyish billowy movements, one above another, and then two luminous disks—like eyes. Then something resembling a little grey snake, about the thickness of a walking stick, coiled up out of the writhing middle, and wriggled in the air towards me—and then another.
Excerpt 2, from Howard E. Koch's script for Orson Welles's radio adaptation:
PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone's crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . .
(SHOUT OF AWE FROM THE CROWD)
PHILLIPS: Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me.
Which statement best describes the difference between these versions?
A: The radio adaptation shares more factual information than the novel.
B: The radio adaptation shares more humorous insight than the novel.
C: The radio adaptation is more frenzied than the novel.
D: The radio adaptation is more cheerful than the novel.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
C: The radio adaptation is more frenzied than the novel.
The radio excerpt captures a sense of urgency and panic through the character's exclamations and the crowd's reaction, creating a more frenzied atmosphere compared to the more measured tone of H. G. Wells's novel.
The radio excerpt captures a sense of urgency and panic through the character's exclamations and the crowd's reaction, creating a more frenzied atmosphere compared to the more measured tone of H. G. Wells's novel.