Question

PLEASE HURRY Read the passage from The Odyssey - Elpenor.

By night
our ship ran onward toward the Ocean's bourne,
the realm and region of the Men of Winter,
hidden in mist and cloud. Never the flaming
eye of Helios lights on those men
at morning, when he climbs the sky of stars,
nor in descending earthward out of heaven;
ruinous night being rove over those wretches.

Which is the best paraphrase of the passage?

A - It’s always cloudy where the Men of Winter live.
B - It’s always misty where the Men of Winter live.
C - It’s always dark where the Men of Winter live.
D - It’s always sunny where the Men of Winter live.

Answer 1

the answer is optional C

Answer 2

The best paraphrase of the passage is:

C. It's always dark where the Men of Winter live.

Step-by-step explanation:

This question can be quite tricky, and here is why: the words "mist" and "cloud" are explicitly written in the passage. Of course, our first impulse is to imagine a cloudy or misty place and to choose either option A or option B, or even both. However, we need to keep on reading to fully understand the passage. Notice the speaker says, "Never the flaming eye of Helios lights on those men..." Helios is nothing more than the personification of the sun in Greek mythology. When he says its flaming eye never lights, he basically means his light never shines on those Men of Winter. No light means it is dark. It may be dark due to the excessive mist and clouds, but it is dark nonetheless because the light can't shine through. That is why letter C seems to be the best