Question

Read the passages from Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

Passage 1

Simon poked his head out carefully.

"You’re chief. You tell ’em off.”

Ralph lay flat and looked up at the palm trees and the sky.

"Meetings. Don’t we love meetings? Every day. Twice a day. We talk.” He got on one elbow. "I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running. Then we’d be, you know, very solemn, and someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV set. When the meeting was over they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting.”

Jack flushed.

"We want meat.”

"Well, we haven’t got any yet. And we want shelters. Besides, the rest of your hunters came back hours ago. They’ve been swimming.”

Passage 2

"Jack! Jack! You haven’t got the conch! Let him speak.”

Jack’s face swam near him.

"And you ! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can’t hunt, you can’t sing—”

"I’m chief. I was chosen.”

"Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don’t make any sense—”

"Piggy’s got the conch.”

"That’s right—favor Piggy as you always do—”

"Jack!”

Jack’s voice sounded in bitter mimicry.

"Jack! Jack!”

The universal theme of Passage 1 is the tension between freedom and responsibility, and the universal theme of Passage 2 is society’s dependence on authority. How do these universal themes relate to each other?

They both show that it is difficult to impose authority on those who prefer freedom.
They both suggest that individuals are less important than people in authority.
They both suggest that individuals who are free are happier than authority figures.
They both show that authority figures have a responsibility to maintain their power.

Answer 1

Neither of the options fully captures the relationship between the two themes. While Passage 1 deals with the tension between freedom and responsibility, Passage 2 deals with society's dependence on authority. However, the two themes are related in the sense that the tension between freedom and responsibility can lead to a breakdown in authority and the dependence on authority can restrict individual freedom. In Passage 1, Ralph struggles to maintain order and responsibility among the boys, as they prefer to enjoy their freedom rather than work towards their common goals. In Passage 2, Jack challenges Ralph's authority and seeks to establish his own power, leading to a breakdown in the established order. The two themes show how the struggle between individual freedom and the need for authority can lead to conflicts and challenges to the established order.

Answer 2

B

Step-by-step explanation:

They both show that it is difficult to impose authority on those who prefer freedom.