Final answer:
Option B, which states that the boys are lost in the forest, best describes the situation they are in, as depicted by the child's disorientation and distress after an encounter with a rabbit.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on the reference provided, the situation the boys find themselves in is best explained by option B: The boys are lost in the forest. The reference describes a child's experience of being startled by a rabbit, fleeing in an unknown direction, and becoming disoriented and unable to find his way, eventually ending up lost. Emotional descriptors such as 'weeping', 'stumbling', 'heart beating hard with terror', and 'sobbed himself to sleep' convey the child's distress and underscore the gravity of the situation. The passage ends by revealing the wider context of search efforts back at the plantation, illustrating the seriousness of the boy's predicament.