Which group of sentences in the story expresses the climax? Rats were running wild through the quiet little town. They posed a h
ealth hazard and were terrorizing the people. The town mayor announced a prize of 500 gold coins to anyone who could get rid of the rats. Many people approached the mayor with their solutions. None of them succeeded. One day, a piper came into the town playing a sweet tune on his pipe. He went to the mayor’s office and claimed that he would rid the town of the rats. The mayor promised to give him the 500 gold coins if he was successful. The piper played a tune, and all the rats started following him. He led them up a cliff and let them drop into the river below. The rat menace ended.
The next day, the piper approached the mayor and asked for his prize. The mayor refused. The angry piper rushed out of the mayor’s office. As he ran, he piped a tune.
All the town’s children came out of the houses and followed the piper up the mountain. Neither their parents nor anyone else could stop them. The children filed into a cave in the mountain, and the rock that covered the cave door moved back to close it.
The townspeople grieved the loss of the children. There was no way to get them back.
The mayor paid a heavy price to rid the town of rats.
All the town’s children came out of the houses and followed the piper up the mountain. Neither their parents nor anyone else could stop them. The children filed into a cave in the mountain, and the rock that covered the cave door moved back to close it.
Explanation:
These are the sentences in the story that express the climax. The climax is the turning point of the story, and it is also the point of highest tension and drama. This is one of the most important literary elements in a narrative. In this case, the climax occurs when the piper decides to lead all the children away from the village, as this is the moment of highest tension.
"Sir Patrick Spens" is one of the most popular of the Child Ballads (No. 58) (Roud 41), and is of Scottish origin. It is a maritime ballad about a disaster at sea.
