As the boat bounced from the top of each wave, the wind tore through the hair of the hatless men, and as the craft plopped her stern down again the spray splashed past them. The crest of each of these waves was a hill, from the top of which the men surveyed for a moment a broad, tumultuous expanse, shining and wind-riven. It was probably splendid, it was probably glorious, this play of the free sea, wild with lights of emerald and white and amber.
"Bully good thing it's an on-shore wind," said the cook. "If not, where would we be? Wouldn't have a show."
"That's right," said the correspondent.
The busy oiler nodded his assent.
Then the captain, in the bow, chuckled in a way that expressed humor, contempt, tragedy, all in one. "Do you think we've got much of a
show now, boys?" said he.
Whereupon the three were silent, save for a trifle of hemming and hawing. To express any particular optimism at this time they felt to be childish and stupid,... On the other hand, the ethics of their condition was decidedly against any open suggestion of hopelessness. So they were Silent.
Which evidence from the passage best supports the inference that the men are distracted?
• 1. the silence of the men after the captain asks his second question
• 2. the description of the captain's chuckle as showing contempt and tragedy
• 3. the use of "emerald" and "amber," jewel names, to describe the sea's colors
• 4. the word "probably" in the description of the sea as "splendid" and "glorious"
1 answer
The best evidence from the passage that supports the inference that the men are distracted is:
• 1. the silence of the men after the captain asks his second question
This silence suggests that the men are preoccupied with their situation and unsure of how to respond, indicating a state of distraction.
