Answer:
I believe the answer to this is a because the rest of the options sound very serious and dreadful. From the story: Marlow says the colonialists had a hole dug out of "the philanthropic desire of giving criminals something to do."
Explanation:
Hope this helps
8. saw
9.weighed
10.you'd
11.talked
12.looked
13.spent
14.had
15.thought
16.going or gone
17.worked
A. bringing back to former position or condition
