Question

Read this excerpt from The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe:

But how just has it been! and how should all men reflect that, when they compare their present conditions with others that are worse, heaven may oblige them to make the exchange, and be convinced of their former felicity by their experience. I say, how just has it been that the truly solitary life I reflected on, in an island of mere desolation, should be my lot, who had so often unjustly compared it with the life which i then led, in which, had i continued, I had, in a ll probability, been exceeding prosperous and rich.

Which words from this excerpt best convey its tone?

The correct answer is Desolation, Solitary

Answer 1

former felicity, solitary, desolation, unjustly

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage is something of a lament as it contemplates the justness or unjustness of what happens in life. The author is aware that he could have been quite well-off in another life, but that a series of interventions by what he describes as heaven kept him from reaching that path.

Former felicity and unjustly reflect the state of mind of the author. Desolation and solitary reflect the experiences he lives and how that impact pervades his existence even today.

Answer 2

C. Desolation, solitary

Step-by-step explanation:

According to a different source, the options that come with this question are:

A. Prosperous, rich

B. Reflect, oblige

C. Desolation, solitary

D. Exchange, exceeding

In this passage, Crusoe reflects on his life so far. He reflects on how people often complain about their lives, but that they only do so because they do not know how bad the alternative could be. He thinks of how he complained in the past about his life being less than satisfactory, and now that he actually lives on an island in complete solitude, he realizes his life was in fact quite good. The tone is one of regret and sadness, and this is highlighted by his use of words such as "desolation" and "solitary."