Question

Read the following excerpt from the article "Vision, Voice and the Power of Creation: An Author Speaks Out," by T. A. Barron and answer the question that follows:
Right now, I am spending a lot of time listening to the voice of a particularly compelling character: the young Merlin. In the end, I finally heard the voice of Merlin thanks to a surprising source: the haunting, mysterious hooting of a great horned owl outside the window of my Colorado home. As I listened to that owl's resonant [echoing] call in the pre-dawn hours one morning, something about it gave me a whole new cadence [rhythm], a whole new sound. And then, a whole new voice.

In this paragraph, what is the author's explicit message about his inspiration for Merlin's voice? (10 points)

1)He had difficulty finding Merlin's voice.

2)His inspiration was the owl outside his window.

3)His old ideas were not working for Merlin's voice.

4)He spent a lot of time thinking about Merlin's voice.

Answer 1

I believe your answer is number 2.
Correct me if I am wrong. :)

Answer 2

I believe the correct answer is 2) His inspiration was the owl outside his window. 
The author says so explicitly/directly in the excerpt above - he was struggling trying to find Merlin's voice when suddenly it came to him 'thanks to a surprising source: the haunting, mysterious hooting of a great horned owl...' So the inspiration came from the owl itself - that is what Barron directly states in the text above.