Question

Read the excerpt from chapter 1 of The Awakening.

He walked down the gallery and across the narrow “bridges” which connected the Lebrun cottages one with the other. He had been seated before the door of the main house. The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of Madame Lebrun, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished. Mr Pontellier had the privilege of quitting their society when they ceased to be entertaining.

Which best explains why the author includes the parrot and the mockingbird in her description of the main house?
A. to help the reader identify the types of wild birds present in the novel’s setting
B. to help the reader imagine the layout of the cottages in the novel’s setting
C. to help the reader identify the major characters present in the novel’s setting
D. to help the reader imagine the sounds present in the novel’s setting

Answer 1

D. to help the reader imagine the sounds present in the novel’s setting

Answer 2

Answer: D. to help the reader imagine the sounds present in the novel’s setting.

Sounds can be very important to the setting of a novel. These can be expressed directly, or indirectly. In this case, the author introduces details about sound indirectly, by telling us that the birds were allowed to make as much noise as they wanted. This suggests that the area was always full of noise due to the singing birds.