Question

days by jules verne.
the weather was bad during the latter days of
the voyage. the wind, obstinately remaining in
the north-west, blew a gale, and retarded the
steamer. the rangoon rolled heavily and the
passengers became impatient of the long,
monstrous waves which the wind raised
before their path. a sort of tempest arose on
the 3rd of november, the squall knocking the
vessel about with fury, and the waves running
high. the rangoon reefed all her sails, and
even the rigging proved too much, whistling
and shaking amid the squall. the steamer
was forced to proceed slowly, and the captain
estimated that she would reach hong kong
twenty hours behind time, and more if the
storm lasted.

phileas fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea,
which seemed to be struggling especially to
delay him, with his habitual tranquility. he
never changed countenance for an instant,
though a delay of twenty hours, by making
him too late for the yokohama boat, would
almost inevitably cause the loss of the wager.
but this man of nerve manifested neither
impatience nor annoyance; it seemed as if the
storm were a part of his program, and had
been foreseen. aouda was amazed to find
him as calm as he had been from the first time
she saw him.

5
select the correct answer.
which statement best identifies the main idea for a summary of the excerpt?
a. the ship, the rangoon, is now slowed by a storm. it is being knocked around by
the fury of the waves despite lowering its sails. if it makes it to port, the
passengers will miss their next ship.
b. sailing on the rangoon, the passengers encounter a storm, but phileas fogg
remains calm despite the fact that the weather will delay them by at least 20 hours.
c. the storm is setting the rangoon behind by 20 days. but phileas fogg is calm as
ever, even though he is going to lose the wager that he can get around the world
in eighty days.
d. a strong storm hits while the rangoon is sailing to hong kong. the storm is so
strong that the ship is really struggling, and phileas fogg will lose his bet due to
the delay.

Explanation:

• Option A is incorrect because it does not mention Phileas Fogg's calm demeanor, a key detail in the excerpt, and misstates the risk as missing the next ship rather than the wager.
• Option C is incorrect because the excerpt states a 20-hour delay, not 20 days, and does not confirm Fogg will lose the wager, only that it is a risk.
• Option D is incorrect because it claims Fogg will lose his bet, but the excerpt only notes the delay makes loss likely, not certain.
• Option B accurately includes the core elements: the storm hitting the Rangoon, the 20+ hour delay, and Fogg's continued calm despite the setback.

Answer:

B. Sailing on the Rangoon, the passengers encounter a storm, but Phileas Fogg remains calm despite the fact that the weather will delay them by at least 20 hours.