Question

For the Mariner he was also an Hi-ber-ni-an. And he stepped out on the shingle, and went home to his mother, who had given him leave to trail his toes in the water; and he married and lived happily ever afterward. So did the Whale. But from that day on, the grating in his throat, which he could neither cough up nor swallow down, prevented him eating anything except very, very small fish; and that is the reason why whales nowadays never eat men or boys or little girls.

What is the central idea of this passage?

Human beings are creative when they get into trouble.
Because of one man’s actions, whales never eat human beings.
Whales always have a sore throat because of a grating.
Human beings should stay away from whales to avoid being swallowed.

Answer 1

Because of one man’s actions, whales never eat human beings. The passage explains that a grating stuck in the whale’s throat after an encounter with the Mariner prevents it from swallowing people, so whales today do not eat humans.