Question

Read the excerpt from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."

The sudden arrest of his motion, the abrasion of one of his hands on the gravel, restored him, and he wept with delight. He dug his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly blessed it. It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble. The trees upon the bank were giant garden plants; he noted a definite order in their arrangement, inhaled the fragrance of their blooms.
Which best describes the effect of the narration in the excerpt?
A) It indicates that Farquhar is easily distracted and no longer concerned with his family.
B) It highlights Farquhar’s confusion about whether or not he is alive and experiencing reality.
C) It emphasizes Farquhar’s euphoric feelings about the rope breaking and his apparent survival.
D) It proves that Farquhar is experiencing a dream before that fact is revealed to the reader.

Answer 1

D) It proves that Farquhar is experiencing a dream before that fact is revealed to the reader.

Step-by-step explanation:

In his dream Farquhar felt so glad because somehow his hands were released, and he saw, sensed and perceived everything so beautiful and fantastic, he could even taste the fragrance of the blooms. When he was suddenly awakened from his dream by the whiz and rattle of the grapeshot he faced again his brutal reality. He found out he might have been travelling for quite a time. Silence and darkness surrounds him. He is dead.