Question

from life on the mississippi

i still keep in mind a certain wonderful sunset which i witnessed when steamboating was new to me. a broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the sombre shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun. . . .

the world was new to me, and i had never seen anything like this at home. but as i have said, a day came when i began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the rivers face; another day came when i ceased altogether to note them. then, if that sunset scene had been repeated, i should have looked upon it without rapture, and should have commented upon it, inwardly, after this fashion: this sun means that we are going to have wind to-morrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebodys steamboat one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out like that; those tumbling \boils\ show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there; the lines and circles in the slick water over yonder are a warning that the troublesome place is shoaling up dangerously; . . .

(from life on the mississippi by mark twain)

which statement best conveys how the authors viewpoint changes in the passage?

1. his fear of nature intensifies as he comes to accept that a river is more dangerous than it is beautiful.

1. his ability to describe the river with precise language improves as he gains more skills in steamboating.

1. his way of seeing the river shifts from mysterious wonder to objective analysis as he becomes a steamboating expert.

1. his enjoyment of the river comes at first as the result of acute observations and later as the result of proven instincts.

Explanation:

• Option 1: The passage doesn't emphasize fear of nature or a river being more dangerous than beautiful. The author's shift is more about perception from wonder to analysis, not fear.
• Option 2: The passage is about the author's viewpoint on the river, not about his descriptive language skills improving with steamboating skills. It's about how he sees the river, not how he describes it.
• Option 3: Initially, the author is in "wonder" at the sunset and the river's beauty ("the world was new to me... never seen anything like this at home"). Later, as he becomes experienced in steamboating, he starts analyzing the river's features for practical, navigational purposes (e.g., what the sun, log, marks mean for the river's conditions), showing a shift from wonder to objective analysis.
• Option 4: The author doesn't talk about "enjoyment" later or "proven instincts". The later part is about analyzing the river for its practical aspects, not enjoying it out of instincts.

Answer:

1. His way of seeing the river shifts from mysterious wonder to objective analysis as he becomes a steamboating expert.