"By the Waters of Babylon," Part 1: Analyzing Setting
Question 18 • CA-Common Core English Language Arts 10
Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.”Surely, that was enough to do, and live. Surely it was enough to spend the night upon the cliff. The Forest People themselves do not come near. Yet, all through the night, I knew that I should have to cross the river and walk in the places of the gods, although the gods ate me up. My magic did not help me at all and yet there was a fire in my bowels, a fire in my mind. When the sun rose, I thought, "My journey has been clean. Now I will go home from my journey." But, even as I thought so, I knew I could not. If I went to the Place of the Gods, I would surely die, but, if I did not go, I could never be at peace with my spirit again. It is better to lose one's life than one's spirit, if one is a priest and the son of a priest.
Answer
A
“When the sun rose, I thought, ‘My journey has been clean.’”
B
“The Forest People themselves do not come near.”
C
“I could never be at peace with my spirit again.”
D
“My magic did not help me at all and yet there was a fire.”
Explanation
The passage shows that the narrator feels compelled to continue his journey despite the danger. He says that if he does not go to the Place of the Gods, he “could never be at peace with [his] spirit again,” so choice C most clearly expresses that inner conflict. The other choices describe his surroundings or his feelings at a particular moment rather than the lasting spiritual need driving him onward.
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