Question

Read the excerpt from "Clara Barton’s Childhood.”

From that time on, through long months, she was the member of the family whose entire thought and care was centered around her brother. David was very sick for such a long time that it seemed as if he could never rally.

Hour after hour, and day after day, she sat by his bedside, his thin hand clasped in her strong one.

"Will I ever get better?” he would ask, sometimes several times a day.

She practically shut herself up in that sick-room for two whole years.

In this excerpt, the author characterizes Clara’s actions to reveal that Clara

is afraid that David will not survive.
is unwavering in her goal to help heal David.
dislikes acting as David’s nurse.

Answer 1

is unwavering in her goal to help heal David.

The passage describes her constant, devoted care—“her entire thought and care was centered around her brother,” sitting “hour after hour, and day after day” at his bedside and shutting herself up in the sick-room for two years—showing commitment rather than fear or dislike.