Question

"So some of the cheefe of the company, perceiveing the mariners to faare the suffisiencie of the shipe, as appeared by their mutterings, they entred into serious consulltation with the mr and other officers of the ship, to consider in time of the danger; and rather to returne then to cast them selves into a desperate and inevitable perill."
How would the meaning of the excerpt change if mutterings was replaced with conversations?
A. It would change the tone of the excerpt.
B. It would change how the sailors voiced their concerns.
C. It would change how the captain dealt with the sailors.
D. It would change the effect of the actions that followed.

Answer 1

B. it would change how the sailors voiced their concerns. "mutterings" suggests that it was only something the crew was saying under their breath, or saying only between themselves--privately. "conversations" is much more general, giving you the idea that they spoke about it openly. when you think "muttering" you might get an image of a kid muttering some smart reply under their breath in response to authority. it's like a petty complaint, almost. when you hear the word "conversation" you might picture a group of people sitting together having a full discussion. changing from one word to the other definitely changes the image of how the sailors are speaking amongst themselves.

Answer 2

Answer:

The meaning of the excerpt would change if mutterings were replaced with conversations in the way It would change how the sailors voiced their concerns.

Explanation:

In order to show the difference, it is important to state the meaning of both words in their basis, for example, mutterings refers to a kind of speaking where people do not openly say what they think and it is always preceded by angry motivations, while conversation relates to actual communication between two or more parties towards a subject, then if we change the word in the excerpt the sailors will be automatically communicating otherwise.