Question

The silence of the night shrank. Icy water crept into my clothes. Our ears picked up for the sound of rudely woken dogs in the nearby kennels. There was the sound of water dripping off my elbows. Neither of us dared move or breathe. No dogs barked.

Finally, Andrzej signaled for me to stand up. Slowly, bracing my hands against the river rocks, I stood. My legs were barely able to stand my weight, they were shaking so badly with cold and fear.
Which best describes the impact of Gelissen’s first-person account of her experiences in the excerpt from Rena's Promise: Two Sisters in Auschwitz?
It educates the reader on the historical sequence of events.
It causes the reader to question the truthfulness of the text.
It helps the reader to better understand the author’s pain and fear.
It distracts the reader from the narrative development of the story.

Answer 1

C

Step-by-step explanation:

Trust

Answer 2

It helps the reader to better understand the author's pain and fear.

Step-by-step explanation:

The text clearly shows how the author is very scared during this moment, such as "My legs were barely able to stand my weight, they were shaking so badly with cold and fear.". The author also illustrates the imagery of pain in fear by setting the mood. From reading this, I paint a picture of people in this river at night, trying to hide or get across, but are very cautious to any sound they hear, going very slowly as if time stopped furthering the suspense and fear of possibly getting caught. For instance, the author is telling the story from a heighted sense of view, "Our ears picked up for the sound of rudely woken dogs in the nearby kennels.". When one is scared, one tends to notice the smallest of sounds or the absence of such as well as holding one's breath. Therefore, I believe the answer is: It helps the reader to better understand the author's pain and fear.