Question

Read the excerpt from The Hot Zone (Links to an external site.). "Nancy took a breath and gathered her thoughts. She imagined that passing through the gray-zone door into Level 4 was like a space walk, except that instead of going into outer space, you went into inner space, which was full of the pressure of life trying to get inside your suit. People went into Level 4 areas all the time at the Institute, particularly the civilian animal caretakers. But going into a containment zone to perform a necropsy on an animal that had died of an amplified unknown hot agent was something a little different. This was high-hazard work." The central idea of this excerpt is that working in a containment zone is very dangerous. Which phrases from the excerpt most support the central idea?

Answer 1

Answer:

A). "Amplified unknown hot agent; high-hazard work."

Explanation:

The theme is usually considered as the central idea, subject, theme or argument of the author that he reflects through his work in order to convey it effectively to the audience. In this excerpt, the recurring idea reflected by the author is that 'working in a containment zone is hazardous' which is clearly mirrored by the use of words like "amplified unknown hot agent" and "high-hazard work" as it adds description of the intense dangerous impact of working in these conditions and portrays the author's central claim that is to reflect the hazards of working in this zone.

Answer 2

Answer:

"An amplified unknown hot agent; high-hazard work".

Explanation:

The central idea or theme of the passage in the question is the dangerous situation of any work done in a containment zone. Containment zones are those sites or areas that are 'contained' or rather isolated or restricted for common entrance and view. So, when the speaker talks of the work that had to be done in the containment zone, she stressed on the severity of the situation. The animal to be tested "had died of an amplified unknown hot agent" which renders the work "high-hazard".

Thus, these two phrases support the central theme of the dangerous condition of the work to be done.