The correct answer is A. Helen did not want to face the sad news she received.
Step-by-step explanation:
An oxymoron refers to a literary figure in which two or more contradictory words are used to convey a deep meaning. In the case of the excerpt presented, oxymoron occurs in "Helen kept her eyes wide shut" because the author states Helen's eyes were open or wide and shut at the same time. This probably means Helen was so shocked and sad for her husband's death that she keep her eyes open but at the same time close as she cannot accept this event and she might want to close her eyes to try to forget it. Thus, the meaning of the oxymoron is "Helen did not want to face the sad news she received".