Read the excerpt from paragraph 4.
"The squadron fell in with an English man-o'-war, and seventy-two years ago to this very day, on this very spot, after fighting heroically, until its masts were shot away, its hold full of water, and a third of its crew disabled, this vessel preferred sinking, with its 356 sailors, to surrendering. Nailing its colours to the mast, it sank beneath the waves to the cry of 'Long live the Republic!'"
What is the impact of the word preferred in this excerpt?
The author's use of the word preferred _______ the idea that the crew would rather die than surrender.
1.softens
2.challenges
3.corrects
4. intensifies