Question

read the excerpt from hamlet, act i, scene i. marcellus: is it not like the king? horatio: as thou art to thyself: such was the very armour he had on when he the ambitious norway combated; so frownd he once, when, in an angry parle, he smote the sledded polacks on the ice. tis strange. marcellus: thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour, with martial stalk hath he gone by our watch. horatio: in what particular thought to work i know not; but in the gross and scope of my opinion, this bodes some strange eruption to our state. what do marcelluss and horatios characterization of the ghost imply? ∘ that a large battle is looming ∘ that someone is tricking them ∘ that the kingdom is cursed ∘ that something bad is going on

Explanation:

Marcellus and Horatio describe the ghost as resembling the late king and note its martial stalk, with Horatio saying it "bodes some strange eruption to our state." A "strange eruption" implies something bad will happen. The other options: no mention of an impending battle (first option), no indication of trickery (second), and "cursed" is too extreme (third). The ghost's appearance and Horatio's comment suggest something ominous is afoot.

Answer:

D. that something bad is going on (assuming the options are labeled A - D with D being "that something bad is going on"; if labels differ, adjust to the correct label with the text "that something bad is going on")