Read the following passage and answer the question that follow:
She ate a few mouthfuls of food and drank a cup of milk. But she lighted no fire, and when night came, no candle, but crept with her baby to bed.
What woke her? The wonder was that she had slept-she had not meant to. But she was young, very young. Perhaps the shrinking of the galvanized roof-yet hardly, since that was so usual. Something had set her heart beating wildly; but she lay quite still, only she put her arm over her baby. Then she had both round it, and she prayed, "Little baby, little baby, don't wake!"
The moon's rays shone on the front of the house, and she saw one of the open crackes, quite close to where she lay, darken with a shadow. Then a protesting growl reached her; and she could fancy she heard the man turn hastily. She plainly heard the thud of something striking the dog's ribs, and the long flying strides of the animal as it howled and ran. Still watching, she saw the shadow darken every crack along the wall. She knew by the sounds that the man was trying every standpoint that might help him to see in; but how much he saw she could not tell. She thought of many things she might do to deceive him into the idea that she was not alone. But the sound of her voice would wake baby, and she dreaded that as though it were the only danger that threatened her. So she prayed "Little baby, don't wake don't cry!"
As per your reading of the passage, what is the source, of the woman's discomfort?
(A) She is feeling cold
(B) She is afraid the baby will wake up
(C) She is scared of the dog
(D) She is afraid of an attack
(E) She is unable to sleep
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (B) and (D) only
(A) She is feeling cold — Incorrect.
- Not mentioned: nothing is said about cold.
- The passage only mentions that she lights no fire.
(B) She is afraid the baby will wake up — Correct.
- She dreads the baby waking "as though it were the only danger that threatened her".
(C) She is scared of the dog — Incorrect.
- Contradicted: the dog is on her side.
- It growls at the man and is struck by him.
(D) She is afraid of an attack — Correct.
- A man is prowling round the hut, trying to see in, and she thinks of ways to make him believe she is not alone.
(E) She is unable to sleep — Incorrect.
- Contradicted: she did sleep, though she had not meant to: "The wonder was that she had slept".