Question

Which sentence best states the theme of the excerpt?

Gilgamesh backed away. He said, " How dreadful Humbaba's face has become! it is changing into a thousand nightmare faces, more horrible than I can bear. I fee haunted. I am too afraid to go on."

Enkidu answered, " why, dear friend, do you speak like a coward? what you just said is unworthy of you. it Grieves my heart. We must not hesitat or retreat."

A) people must persevere despite their fears.
B) Enkidu is a loyal source of encouragement
C)Gilgamesh needs support to overcome his fear
D)Cowardice leads to defeat and death

Answer 1

Despite his momentary horror at seeing Humbaba's dreadful face, Gilgamesh overcomes his fear with encouragement from his companion.

Answer 2

In my opinion, the correct answer is A) people must persevere despite their fears. A and D are themes, whereas B and C are summaries. However, D is not correct because this doesn't mean that Gilgamesh is a coward. The excerpt is not about cowardice, but about the fact that we must fight our fears instead of succumbing them, however serious the situation is.