Answer:
The narrator responds to his fear by staying in the big room to learn more.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the story, By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét a Priest named John goes on a mission to discover things about his city, and this mission was spurred by the believes of the natives that gods dwelt in the land so many years ago. Although John was filled with fear due to these beliefs and the conflict he experienced within him, he still summoned the courage to sleep in the big room.
While sleeping in that big room, it was revealed to him that there were no gods as the people believed rather it was humans that lived in those cities.