Setting Quick Check 5 of 55 of 5 Items Feature Big Water by Andrea Curtis What I should be, really, is frightened. Everything about this situation is alarming. I can almost hear the opening strains of one of those melancholy operas Father likes to listen to with the door to his study closed. All the ominous parts are here—dark sky, turbulent lake, waves rising, my cousin Peter, the ship’s first mate though he’s barely older than me, insisting I get a life preserver and put it on. I dig my nose into my collar and turn to the side. The wind still tears at my skin, but I’m not going to leave this spot at the front of the ship if I can help it. Even though the sky is getting darker by the second. Even though it’s only midmorning, and I can barely see the horizon. The lake is murky too, almost black, indistinguishable from the sky. Excerpt from Big Water by Andrea Curtis. Printed with permission by Orca Book Publishers Question Use the excerpt from “Big Water” by Andrea Curtis to answer the question. What best describes the mood implied by the story’s setting? Responses eerie and frightening eerie and frightening - no response given peaceful and relaxed peaceful and relaxed - no response given boring and disinterested boring and disinterested - no response given uplifting and cheerful uplifting and cheerful - no response given Skip to navigation page 11 of 11

Answer 1

The mood implied by the story’s setting is best described as eerie and frightening. The description of the dark sky, turbulent lake, and the insistence of the first mate for the narrator to wear a life preserver creates a sense of unease and tension. The reference to melancholy operas and the ominous atmosphere further reinforces this mood, suggesting something unsettling and potentially dangerous is at play.