Read the passage from Lord of the Flies by William Golding. "You’ve noticed, haven’t you?” Jack put down his spear and squatted. "Noticed what?” "Well. They’re frightened.” He rolled over and peered into Jack’s fierce, dirty face. "I mean the way things are. They dream. You can hear ’em. Have you been awake at night?” Jack shook his head. "They talk and scream. The littluns. Even some of the others. As if—” "As if it wasn’t a good island.” Astonished at the interruption, they looked up at Simon’s serious face. "As if,” said Simon, "the beastie, the beastie or the snake-thing, was real. Remember?” What is the universal theme of this passage?
Answer
A
the impact of the past on the present
B
the tension between truth and illusion
C
the relationship between civilization and nature
D
the inevitability of death
Explanation
The boys’ fear makes them believe the beast may be real, even though the passage suggests it could be an illusion shaped by their dreams and anxieties. The contrast between what is actually true and what the boys imagine creates a tension between truth and illusion. Therefore, the universal theme is “the tension between truth and illusion.”
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