Question

Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.” When I woke, the sun was low. Looking down from where I lay, I saw a dog sitting on his haunches. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth; he looked as if he were laughing. He was a big dog, with a gray-brown coat, as big as a wolf. I sprang up and shouted at him but he did not move—he just sat there as if he were laughing. I did not like that. When I reached for a stone to throw, he moved swiftly out of the way of the stone. He was not afraid of me; he looked at me as if I were meat. No doubt I could have killed him with an arrow, but I did not know if there were others. Moreover, night was falling. Which statement best describes the primary conflict that the narrator experiences in this passage? The conflict is character vs. self, since the narrator does not believe in his own ability to fight the dog. The conflict is character vs. nature, since the narrator encounters a dog that presents a danger to him. The conflict is character vs. technology, since the narrator does not have the right tools to protect himself. The conflict is character vs. society, since the narrator is dealing with the effects of society’s destruction.

Answer 1

A. The conflict is character vs. self, since the narrator does not believe in his own ability to fight the dog.

B. The conflict is character vs. nature, since the narrator encounters a dog that presents a danger to him.

C. The conflict is character vs. technology, since the narrator does not have the right tools to protect himself.

D. The conflict is character vs. society, since the narrator is dealing with the effects of society’s destruction.

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Answer 2

The statement that best describes the primary conflict that the narrator experiences in this passage is the second one: "The conflict is character vs. nature, since the narrator encounters a dog that presents a danger to him".

In this excerpt, the narrator tells the reader that the dog, which looked like a big wolf, was a menace to him. This is made even clearer in the sentence "He was not afraid of me; he looked at me as if I were meat". John, the main character of "By the Waters of Babylon", is forced to deal with the man vs. nature conflict several times throughout the story. During his journey to the Place of the Gods, he protects himself from predators that are part of nature on different occasions.