Question

"A certain fear of death, dull and oppressive, came to him. This fear quickly became poignant as he realized that it was no longer a mere matter of freezing his fingers and toes, or of losing his hands and feet, but that it was a matter of life and death with the chances against him. This threw him into a panic, and he turned and ran up the creek-bed along the old, dim trail."

What is the most significant factor about the reading passage related to the characterization of the man?
A. The passage demonstrates growth of the character.
B. The passage demonstrates weakness in the character.
C. The passage demonstrates arrogance in the character.
D. The passage demonstrates the hope of the character.
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Answer 1

Answer:

The answer is B.

Explanation:

The passage describes the character as extremely afraid of his possible death; so afraid, in fact, that he was thrown into a panic attack, and he "turned and ran up the creek-bed along the old, dim trail". He wasn't strong enough to control his reaction.

Answer 2

Answer:

B. The passage demonstrates weakness in the character.

Explanation:

In the text shown above, we can see that fear terrified the character and this weakened him in the face of the inhospitable situation he was in. The character's weakness made him realize that the chances of survival were against him and so the chances of dying were high. This fear created anguish, a despair that made the character give up fighting and try to escape his problem and what threatened him, instead of fighting and facing.