Present tense is what is happening in the moment or right now.
For example: I am reading a book.
This sentence shows that currently in the moment, the person was reading a book.
Another example: The time is 3:00
Answer:
It is meant to exaggerate how fast and easily the house was lit on fire
Answer:
A. a place where a specific group of people used to stay
Explanation:
since the sentence includes "in their original haunts in the Middle East" we can believe that the Middle East is where the terrorists are staying/living/often go to
