Question

Excerpt from The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

Answer 1

The correct answer is D) The desert represents the unexpected struggles that the boy has faced, showing that it is not easy to realize one’s destiny.

Answer 2

When he realizes the old king’s promises were empty, the desert symbolizes the empty future the boy will have if he continues this journey. I would assume this was the correct answer although reading more of the passage would help with context clues as to why this answer makes sense. A lot of english is inferencing what is happening and guessing the metaphors used and such, I hope this helped.