Question

Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.”

But it was not dark. Everywhere there were lights—lines of light—circles and blurs of light—ten thousand torches would not have been the same. The sky itself was alight—you could barely see the stars for the glow in the sky. I thought to myself "This is strong magic" and trembled. There was a roaring in my ears like the rushing of rivers. Then my eyes grew used to the light and my ears to the sound. I knew that I was seeing the city as it had been when the gods were alive.

That was a sight indeed—yes, that was a sight: I could not have seen it in the body—my body would have died. Everywhere went the gods, on foot and in chariots—there were gods beyond number and counting and their chariots blocked the streets. They had turned night to day for their pleasure—they did not sleep with the sun. The noise of their coming and going was the noise of the many waters. It was magic what they could do—it was magic what they did.

Which details from the text best support the analysis that the narrator is in awe of the city at night? Select three options.

“But it was not dark. Everywhere there were lights.”
“I thought to myself ‘This is a strong magic’ and trembled.”
“That was a sight indeed—yes, that was a sight: I could not have seen it in the body—my body would have died.”
“Everywhere went the gods, on foot and in chariots.”
“It was magic what they could do—it was magic what they did."

Answer 1

The details from the text that best support the analysis that the narrator is in awe of the city at night are indeed:

2. “I thought to myself ‘This is a strong magic’ and trembled.”

3. “That was a sight indeed—yes, that was a sight: I could not have seen it in the body—my body would have died.”

5. “It was magic what they could do—it was magic what they did."

Step-by-step explanation:

"By the Waters of Babylon" is a short story written by author Stephen Vincent Benét, published in 1937. The main character and narrator, John, is a priest in a post-apocalyptic future. After man has built weapons of mass destruction and annihilated the cities as we know them, society has regressed to a more primitive way of living. People have learned to fear metal, believing it to carry spirits and death from the ancient world where the gods used to live.

John goes on a journey to a Dead Place - New York. No human being lives in the city any longer. Being a priest, John is supposed to be stronger than other humans, being capable of touching metal without dying - a fact that is actually a superstition. As he spends the night in the city, he has a vision in the form of a dream. Through this vision, he finds out that the beings who lived there were not gods, but human beings like himself and his people. He sees what the city used to look, sound, and feel like, and he is awestruck. He realizes how powerful and knowledgeable humankind once was. He calls it magic, since it is still beyond any explanation. He fears such power, thinking his body wouldn't have been able to stand it if he had been there in reality, not in a vision. The details that best reveal his awe are:

2. “I thought to myself ‘This is a strong magic’ and trembled.”

3. “That was a sight indeed—yes, that was a sight: I could not have seen it in the body—my body would have died.”

5. “It was magic what they could do—it was magic what they did."

Answer 2

This excerpt comes from the story “ From the Waters of Babylon “ written by Stephen Vincent Benet. It relates of a futuristic world where the narrator, the son of a priest, tries to make sense of the world he lives in.

Question: Which details from the text best support the analysis that the narrator is in awe of the city at night? Select three options.

Answer:

2. “I thought to myself ‘This is a strong magic’ and trembled.”

3.“That was a sight indeed—yes, that was a sight: I could not have seen it in the body—my body would have died.”

5.“It was magic what they could do—it was magic what they did."