Question

Which excerpt from “The Scarlet Ibis” most foreshadows that the narrator will feel regret for something he has done to Doodle? But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away—and I remember Doodle. Doodle was my brother and he was going to cling to me forever, no matter what I did, so I dragged him across the burning cotton field to share with him the only beauty I knew, Old Woman Swamp. There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle. Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I began to believe in my own infallibility and I prepared a terrific development program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy, of course.

Answer 1

The correct answer, in my opinion, is C. There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle.

The narrator recalls his own cruelty, but also hints that this cruelty (and its consequences) will haunt him forever. At this point, we anticipate that he is going to do something bad to Doodle, even though the narrator softens this anticipation by telling us that it used to happen "at times". Also, the simile "much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction" tells us that the narrator will never break free from this regret.