Question

The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs (excerpt) At the foot of the stairs the match went out, and he paused to strike another; and at the same moment a knock, so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door. The matches fell from his hand and spilled in the passage. He stood motionless, his breath suspended until the knock was repeated. Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room, and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house. "What's that?" cried the old woman, starting up. "A rat," said the old man in shaking tones—"a rat. It passed me on the stairs." His wife sat up in bed listening. A loud knock resounded through the house. "It's Herbert!" she screamed. "It's Herbert!" She ran to the door, but her husband was before her, and catching her by the arm, held her tightly. "What are you going to do?" he whispered hoarsely. "It's my boy; it's Herbert!" she cried, struggling mechanically. "I forgot it was two miles away. What are you holding me for? Let go. I must open the door." "For God's sake don't let it in," cried the old man, trembling. "You're afraid of your own son," she cried, struggling. "Let me go. I'm coming, Herbert; I'm coming." There was another knock, and another. The old woman with a sudden wrench broke free and ran from the room. Her husband followed to the landing, and called after her appealingly as she hurried downstairs. He heard the chain rattle back and the bottom bolt drawn slowly and stiffly from the socket. Then the old woman's voice, strained and panting. "The bolt," she cried, loudly. "Come down. I can't reach it." But her husband was on his hands and knees groping wildly on the floor in search of the paw. If he could only find it before the thing outside got in. A perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house, and he heard the scraping of a chair as his wife put it down in the passage against the door. He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. The knocking ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in the house. He heard the chair drawn back, and the door opened. A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road.
Which description most clearly defines the mood of the passage?
A) anticipation and excitement
B) uncertainty and confusion
C) tension and fear
D) happiness and hope
E) dismay and sorrow

Answer 1

Tension and Fear. This is the answer because when reading, you get a glimpse of tension. This is easy, but if you practice reading you should get the hang of it. Please try to solve before putting this on Brainly.

Answer 2

Answer:

The correct answer to the question: Which description most clearly defines the mood of the passage, would be: C: Tension and fear.

Explanation:

"The Monkey´s Paw" is a short horror story written by W. W. Jacobs, and it was first published in 1902. This story narrates the lives of the White family, Mr. Mrs. White and their son Herbert and what happens when they wish upon a monkey´s mummified paw, for things that they should not be wishing for. In this excerpt, we can see that Mr. White has finally realized the danger of the wishes put forth to the monkey´s paw. And when they wish for their son Herbert, who died in a working accident, and the wish seems to be granted, we see how Mr. White cannot feel any joy, but the full-blown terror of knowing how his dead son has come back to life. This is why the answer is C.