Read the excerpt from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. GUIL ( more intensely ) We have been spinning coins together since—( He releases him almost as violently .) This is not the first time we have spun coins! ROS Oh no—We’ve been spinning coins for as long as I remember. GUIL How long is that? ROS I forget. Mind you—eighty-five times! GUIL Yes? ROS It’ll take some beating, I imagine. GUIL Is that what you imagine? Is that it? No fear? ROS Fear? GUIL ( in fury—flings a coin on the ground ) Fear! The crack that might flood your brain with light! Which statement best explains why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have different opinions about the coin toss?
Answer
A
Rosencrantz trusts Guildenstern, while Guildenstern thinks that Rosencrantz is cheating.
B
Rosencrantz remembers the other times they tossed coins, while Guildenstern has forgotten them.
C
Rosencrantz does not care about the results of the game, while Guildenstern wants to win.
D
Rosencrantz is relaxed about the strangeness of the outcome, while Guildenstern is bothered by it.
Explanation
Rosencrantz treats the repeated coin tosses as ordinary, even saying that eighty-five times “will take some beating.” Guildenstern is alarmed by the strange pattern and reacts with fury, calling it “the crack that might flood your brain with light.” So Rosencrantz is relaxed about the unusual outcome, while Guildenstern is bothered by it.
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