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. Which quotation from this passage best states a theme of the story?
Answer
A
“My magic did not help me at all and yet there was a fire in my bowels, a fire in my mind.”
B
“When the sun rose, I thought, ‘My journey has been clean. Now I will go home from my journey.’”
C
“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.”
D
“The Forest People themselves do not come near.”
Explanation
The passage develops the theme that following one’s conscience or seeking truth may require facing danger. The narrator says he may die if he goes to the Place of the Gods, but he cannot be at peace if he refuses to go. Choice C states this central conflict most clearly; the other quotations describe particular thoughts or observations rather than the story’s broader theme.
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