"By the Waters of Babylon," Part 1: Analyzing Setting — Quiz
Question 19 • English Language Arts 10
Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.” How shall I tell what I saw? There was no smell of man left, on stone or metal. Nor were there many trees in that wilderness of stone. There are many pigeons, nesting and dropping in the towers—the gods must have loved them, or, perhaps, they used them for sacrifices. There are wild cats that roam the god-roads, green-eyed, unafraid of man. At night they wail like demons but they are not demons. The wild dogs are more dangerous, for they hunt in a pack, but them I did not meet till later. Everywhere there are the carved stones, carved with magical numbers or words. How do details such as "stone or metal,” "many pigeons,” "towers,” and "wild cats that roam the god-roads” help establish setting?
Answer
A
They develop the feeling of an ancient village of a polytheistic culture.
B
They build an atmosphere of a preindustrial society.
C
They give the sense that nature has taken over a once-urban area.
D
They create a feeling of a small mythical kingdom.
Explanation
The narrator describes a wilderness of stone with towers, but little evidence that people still live there. Pigeons nest in the towers, and wild cats roam the roads, suggesting animals have moved into a place once built and used by people. These details establish the setting as a once-urban area that nature has taken over, which is choice C.
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