Read the excerpt from The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History.

Question

"Look!" Morehouse said, handing the mate the spyglass.
Deveau looked and saw no one on deck. "But," he said, "They fly no flag of distress. Perhaps they lie drunken below."
At the wheel, Johnson laughed. "They wouldn't if they had a captain like ours!"
Captain Morehouse laughed, too, then said, "Let us hail them."

What is the most likely meaning of the phrase flag of distress?

Responses

a signal indicating danger or the need for help
a signal indicating danger or the need for help

a kite acting as a decoration on a ship
a kite acting as a decoration on a ship

an instrument that marks the exact time or date
an instrument that marks the exact time or date

a tool for steering abandoned ships

Answer 1

The most likely meaning of the phrase "flag of distress" is:

a signal indicating danger or the need for help.