"Cannibalism in the Cars" is a short story written in 1868 by American writer Mark Twain. It tells the darkly humorous tale of apparent acts of cannibalism from the point of view of a congressman on a snowbound train. It indirectly satirizes the political system of the United States.

Question

An old man on a train tells the story of the aforementioned congressmen, trapped on a train during a snowstorm. It takes a week for the members of Congress to resign themselves to cannibalism for survival, whereupon they hold ineffective elections to select candidates (victims) and follow proper parliamentary procedure. For example: "Mr. Harris was elected, all voting for him but himself. It was then moved that his election should be ratified by acclamation, which was lost, in consequence of his again voting against himself".

The humor becomes darker, richer: "After breakfast we elected a man by the name of Walker, from Detroit, for supper. He was very good. I wrote his wife so afterward. He was worthy of all praise. I shall always remember Walker. He was a little rare, but very good. And then the next morning we had Morgan of Alabama for breakfast. He was one of the finest men I ever sat down to—handsome, educated, refined, spoke several languages fluently—a perfect gentleman—he was a perfect gentleman, and singularly juicy".

Having finished his story, the old man departs the train, but the conductor clarifies to the shocked listener: "He was a member of congress once, and a good one. But he got caught in a snowdrift in the cars, and like to have been starved to death. He got so frostbitten and frozen up generally, and used up for want of something to eat, that he was sick and out of his head two or three months afterward. He is all right now, only he is a monomaniac, and when he gets on that old subject he never stops till he has eat up that whole carload of people he talks about".

Use the passage to answer the question. Which explicit statement is best supported by the details in the passage? (1 point) Responses The passengers oppose the candidates chosen by the committee. The passengers oppose the candidates chosen by the committee. The passengers are horrified at the thought of resorting to cannibalism. The passengers are horrified at the thought of resorting to cannibalism. Mr. Rogers wants another candidate because Mr. Herrman has lost too much weight. Mr. Rogers wants another candidate because Mr. Herrman has lost too much weight. Mr. Rogers speaks to express his dissatisfaction with being chosen by the committee.

Answer 1

The best-supported explicit statement from the passage is: The passengers oppose the candidates chosen by the committee.

This is evident in the way the story describes the voting process and the absurdity surrounding the election, such as Mr. Harris voting against himself and the motion to ratify his election being lost. This satirical depiction suggests a level of discontent and disagreement among the passengers regarding their "candidates."

The other options do not have strong support from the details provided. The passengers' horror at cannibalism is implied through the dark humor but not explicitly stated as a primary reaction. There is no mention of Mr. Rogers or Mr. Herrman, so those statements cannot be supported by the passage.