I think its A: Tolstoy demonstrates the relationship between life and death through Ivan Ilych’s battle with illness.
Shrewd means smart, catching onto things quickly and/or observing something.
Sentence example: "She was shrewd enough to guess the reasons behind his lies."
I believe the answer to question two is true. Political writings were usually persuasive.
Hope I helped!
I think he answer is B even though I never read that book.
