Studying Literary Text Online Practice

Question

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Feature

Dusk
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.

"Dusk" by H.H. Munro ("Saki")

Question
Use the excerpt from H. H. Munro’s story “Dusk” to answer the question.

Which possible theme is supported by the details in the text?

(1 point)
Responses

People’s moods often change with the time of day.
People’s moods often change with the time of day. - no response given

Modern life can lead people to become disconnected from each other.
Modern life can lead people to become disconnected from each other. - incorrect

It takes great determination to rise above difficult circumstances.
It takes great determination to rise above difficult circumstances. - no response given

Some people take pleasure in the unhappiness of others.

Answer 1

The theme supported by the details in the text is:

People’s moods often change with the time of day.

In the excerpt, Gortsby reflects on how dusk appeals to him and aligns with his mood. He associates the falling darkness with an atmosphere of defeat and the presence of people who have experienced loss, suggesting that the time of day influences how individuals feel and how they choose to engage with the world around them. This connection between mood and the time of day is a central element of the passage.