Writing a Literary Analysis through the Lens of a Quotation
Question 7 • MO-English Language Arts 9 B-CR
Read the excerpt from "The Most Dangerous Game."Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists. The general was playing with him! The general was saving him for another day's sport! The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror."I will not lose my nerve. I will not."He slid down from the tree, and struck off again into the woods. His face was set and he forced the machinery of his mind to function. Three hundred yards from his hiding place he stopped where a huge dead tree leaned precariously on a smaller, living one. Throwing off his sack of food, Rainsford took his knife from its sheath and began to work with all his energy.
Answer
A
Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists.
B
The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.
C
He slid down from the tree, and struck off again into the woods. His face was set and he forced the machinery of his mind to function.
D
Three hundred yards from his hiding place he stopped where a huge dead tree leaned precariously on a smaller, living one.
Explanation
The imagery in choice B compares General Zaroff to a cat and Rainsford to a mouse, emphasizing that Zaroff is hunting him and has the advantage. The direct statement that Rainsford knows “the full meaning of terror” makes the danger and fear especially vivid. The other choices mainly describe what Rainsford sees or does rather than using figurative imagery to heighten the tension.
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