ELA 12 A Semester Exam

Question

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Feature
By nightfall he was fatigued, footsore, famished. The thought of his wife and children urged him on. At last he found a road which led him in what he knew to be the right direction. It was as wide and straight as a city street, yet it seemed untraveled. No fields bordered it, no dwelling anywhere. Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested human habitation. The black bodies of the trees formed a straight wall on both sides, terminating on the horizon in a point, like a diagram in a lesson in perspective. Overhead, as he looked up through this rift in the wood, shone great golden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange constellations. He was sure they were arranged in some order which had a secret and malign significance. The wood on either side was full of singular noises, among which—once, twice, and again—he distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue.

His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it found it horribly swollen. He knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air. How softly the turf had carpeted the untraveled avenue—he could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet!

Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene—perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the entire night. As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him. At the bottom of the steps she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of matchless grace and dignity. Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs forwards with extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon—then all is darkness and silence!

Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.

Question
Use the paragraphs to answer the question.

How do the author’s choices about how to structure these paragraphs contribute to the overall structure of the story?

(1 point)
Responses

The author’s use of a flashback to show Farquhar’s escape attempt makes the story’s ending a surprise.
The author’s use of a flashback to show Farquhar’s escape attempt makes the story’s ending a surprise.

The author’s description of Farquhar’s escape dream as though it were real allows the story’s ending to be a surprise.
The author’s description of Farquhar’s escape dream as though it were real allows the story’s ending to be a surprise.

The author’s flashback in these paragraphs about Farquhar’s wife allows his death to be a surprise.
The author’s flashback in these paragraphs about Farquhar’s wife allows his death to be a surprise.

The author’s foreshadowing in these paragraphs about Farquhar’s return home makes his sudden death at the end a surprise.
The author’s foreshadowing in these paragraphs about Farquhar’s return home makes his sudden death at the end a surprise.

Answer 1

The correct response to the question is:

The author’s description of Farquhar’s escape dream as though it were real allows the story’s ending to be a surprise.

This choice highlights how the narrative blurs the lines between reality and illusion, leading the reader to believe that Farquhar has successfully escaped, which makes the abrupt revelation of his death shocking. The vivid portrayal of his longing for home and his wife's presence adds to the emotional weight of the story and the impact of the unexpected ending.