Question

I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especially because M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first word about them. For a moment I thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. It was so warm, so bright! The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of the sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling. It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles, but I had the strength to resist, and hurried off to school.

When I passed the town hall there was a crowd in front of the bulletin-board. For the last two years all our bad news had come from there—the lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer—and I thought to myself, without stopping:

"What can be the matter now?"…
Select two details that show the narrator's town has experienced war.

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Comment

Prussian Soldiers drill? Out in the open? Why are they doing that if it is peacetime? So the student could be impressed by the drill and the color of the uniform, but he must have known something far more meaningful. He must have known about the nature of war and he knew enough that he did not want to participate in even just by watching. So he goes to school prepared to be lectured about not knowing about words ending in ed or ing (in English).

Prussian soldiers were drilling. It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles, but I had the strength to resist, and hurried off to school.

You have to pick the bulletin board as your next example. Without reading the exact contents of today's news, he knew it couldn't be good. Casualty lists come to mind.

For the last two years all our bad news had come from there—the lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer—and I thought to myself, without stopping:

"What can be the matter now?"…