Dusk

Question

by H.H. Munro (Saki)

Norman Gortsby sat on a bench in the Park, with his back to a strip of bush-planted sward, fenced by the park railings, and the Row fronting him across a wide stretch of carriage drive. Hyde Park Corner, with its rattle and hoot of traffic, lay immediately to his right. It was some thirty minutes past six on an early March evening, and dusk had fallen heavily over the scene, dusk mitigated by some faint moonlight and many street lamps. There was a wide emptiness over road and sidewalk, and yet there were many unconsidered figures moving silently through the half-light, or dotted unobtrusively on bench and chair, scarcely to be distinguished from the shadowed gloom in which they sat.

The scene pleased Gortsby and harmonised with his present mood. Dusk, to his mind, was the hour of the defeated. Men and women, who had fought and lost, who hid their fallen fortunes and dead hopes as far as possible from the scrutiny of the curious, came forth in this hour of gloaming, when their shabby clothes and bowed shoulders and unhappy eyes might pass unnoticed, or, at any rate, unrecognised.

A king that is conquered must see strange looks, So bitter a thing is the heart of man.

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Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

Which details from this story help develop the story into a satire? Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses

The three characters in the story are strangers whose lives cross paths only briefly.
The three characters in the story are strangers whose lives cross paths only briefly.

The setting, which takes place in Hyde Park at dusk, is dark and mysterious.
The setting, which takes place in Hyde Park at dusk, is dark and mysterious.

Gortsby listens closely to the story that the young man tells of his misfortunes.
Gortsby listens closely to the story that the young man tells of his misfortunes.

Gortsby changes his view after finding a bar of soap on the ground.
Gortsby changes his view after finding a bar of soap on the ground.

Gortsby is very cynical and distrusting of the young man he meets.
Gortsby is very cynical and distrusting of the young man he meets.
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Answer 1

To identify details from the passage that help develop the story into a satire, we should look for elements that highlight the absurdities of human nature or societal norms, particularly in relation to Gortsby's character and behavior.

The two correct answers that support this are:

1. Gortsby changes his view after finding a bar of soap on the ground. - This detail illustrates the superficiality of Gortsby's judgments and highlights the ridiculousness of how easily one's opinion can change based on trivial evidence. It satirizes the nature of trust and skepticism in human interactions.

2. Gortsby is very cynical and distrusting of the young man he meets. - This detail showcases Gortsby's pessimistic and critical outlook on life, reflecting a satire on the human tendency to judge others harshly and to assume deceit rather than offering compassion or understanding.

These elements contribute to a satirical commentary on societal attitudes, appearances, and the complexities of human interactions.