Question

Select the correct texts in the passage.

Which two phrases convey unease in the excerpt?
excerpt adapted from The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexander Dumas
The dock was soon covered with the usual crowd of curious onlookers, as the arrival of a ship is always a great event in the town of Marseilles. This was
especially true when, like the Pharaon, it has been built in the city and belongs to a local shipowner..
Meanwhile the vessel was approaching the harbor, but so slowly and with such an air of melancholy that the onlookers, sensing misfortune, began to
wonder if an accident happened on board. However, the experienced seamen among them saw that if there had been an accident, it could not have
happened to the ship herself, for she had every appearance of being under perfect control

Answer 1

The two phrases that convey unease in the excerpt are:

"with such an air of melancholy"

"the onlookers, sensing misfortune"

"with such an air of melancholy" - The use of the phrase "air of melancholy" suggests a mood or atmosphere of sadness or gloom. In the context of a ship approaching the harbor, this creates a sense of foreboding or unease, as it implies that there might be something wrong or distressing about the situation.

"the onlookers, sensing misfortune" - The phrase "sensing misfortune" indicates that the onlookers are picking up on signals or signs that suggest something bad might be happening. This contributes to a feeling of unease because it implies that there is a collective perception among the crowd that the arrival of the ship is not proceeding as expected, and there might be a potential problem or disaster.