Question

Read the passage from The Little Regiment, then answer the question. "When were borne past them some wounded men with gray and blood-smeared faces, and eyes that rolled in that helpless beseeching for assistance from the sky which comes with supreme pain, the soldiers in the mud watched intently, and from time to time asked of the bearers an account of the affair." Stephen Crane, "The Little Regiment," 1897. What is the best paraphrase of this passage?

A) The soldiers who are waiting to fight see the wounded and hope too for their chance to be heroic in battle.
B) The soldiers are more affected by the miserable weather than by any threat from the enemy.
C) As the wounded are carried from the front, the soldiers stop joking and try to find out what is happening in the battle.
D) When they see the wounded, the soldiers begin to joke and jostle as a way to break the tension.

Answer 1

The correct paraphrase of the passage from "The Little Regiment" is that the observing soldiers stop their casual behavior to inquire about the battle situation when they see the wounded being carried by. Option number C is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best paraphrase of the passage from Stephen Crane's "The Little Regiment" is one that captures the soldiers' reactions to the wounded being carried past them. The passage describes soldiers observing wounded comrades with empathy and a desire to understand the status of the battle. They ask the bearers for updates on the situation, indicating a switch from their idle waiting to a more engaged concern. This suggests they are not joking or longing for their own glory, nor are they preoccupied with the weather or ignorant of the gravity of the situation. Therefore, the most accurate paraphrase is:

C) As the wounded are carried from the front, the soldiers stop joking and try to find out what is happening in the battle.