The night was loaded with omens. The grieving sky turned the little water to a dangerous metal and then the wind got up – not the gusty, rabbity wind of the seacoasts I know but a great bursting sweep of wind with nothing to inhibit it for a thousand miles in any direction. Because it was a wind strange to me, and therefore mysterious, it set up mysterious responses in me.

The author describes the unusual, powerful wind and explains that its unfamiliarity made him feel mysterious reactions. This focuses on how people respond emotionally to nature, rather than giving a factual account of North Dakota or trying to warn readers away from it. The best choice is “The author wants to explore human reactions to nature.”

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