Question

"No wind had blown for weeks, and each bough was fully freighted. Each time he had pulled a twig he had communicated a slight agitation to the tree -- an imperceptible agitation, so far as he was concerned, but an agitation sufficient to bring about the disaster. High up in the tree one bough capsized its load of snow. This fell on the boughs beneath, capsizing them. This process continued, spreading out and involving the whole tree. It grew like an avalanche, and it descended without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out! Where it had burned was a mantle of fresh and disordered snow."
Which explanation best describes the movement of the tree in the passage?

A.
The slight movement is strong enough to cause an avalanche.


B.
The slight movement is causing the entire tree to move.


C.
The slight movement is difficult to identify.


D.
The slight movement is nonexistent.

Answer 1

Answer:

The slight movement is causing the entire tree to move is the explanation that best describes the movement of the tree in the passage.

Explanation:

The description of the movement of the tree does not say that it is an avalanche it makes a comparison to it as the movement and the effect of it is link to each and every part of the tree, one little movement that started all grew as it was advancing until it ended up over the fire that the man had started before.

Answer 2

Reading through this originally, I thought the answer was A, but the author only compared the snow falling to an avalanche through a simile. I believe the answer is B, because the slight movement he created from pulling those trees caused the entire tree to move and the snow to fall.