Question

didnt you notice that the crews nerves seemed a bit jumpy today? they were a bit strange, now you mention it. even captain nielsen— yes, even that tough - minded old swede, whod go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light. those fishy blue eyes held a look i never saw there before. all i could get out of him was: this place has an evil name among sea - faring men, sir. then he said to me, very gravely: dont you feel anything?—as if the air about us was actually poisonous. now, you mustnt laugh when i tell you this—i did feel something like a sudden chill. there was no breeze. the sea was as flat as a plate - glass window. we were drawing near the island then. what i felt was a—a mental chill; a sort of sudden dread. pure imagination, said rainsford. one superstitious sailor can taint the whole ships company with his fear. maybe. but sometimes i think sailors have an extra sense that tells them when they are in danger. sometimes i think evil is a tangible thing—with wave lengths, just as sound and light have. an evil place can, so to speak, broadcast vibrations of evil. anyhow, im glad were getting out of this zone. well, i think ill turn in now, rainsford. im not sleepy, said rainsford. im going to smoke another pipe on the afterdeck. good night, then, rainsford. see you at breakfast. right. good night, whitney. there was no sound in the night as rainsford sat there, but the muffled throb of the engine that drove the yacht swiftly through the darkness, and the swish and ripple of the wash of the propeller. rainsford, reclining in a steamer chair, indolently puffed on his favorite brier. the sensuous drowsiness of the night was on him. its so dark, he thought, that i could sleep without closing my eyes; the night would be my eyelids— an abrupt sound startled him. off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. again he heard the sound, and again. somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times. rainsford sprang up and moved quickly to the rail, mystified. he strained his eyes in the direction from which
vocabulary development— tangible (tan juh buhl) adj. real; able to be touched indolently (in duh lunt lee) adv. lazily; idly sensuous (sen shoo uhs) adj. pleasing to the senses
take notes
stop to reflect
rainsford says that superstitions are pure imagination. whitney believes superstitions may be true. are you ever superstitious? for example, some people think that 13 is an unlucky number. how might a superstition change the way you act? explain.
reading check
what sound startles rainsford out of his drowsiness? circle the sentence that tells you.
reading skill
what can you infer from the sound that rainsford hears?

Explanation:

1. Stop to Reflect: Superstitions can change behavior by influencing decisions and actions. For example, if someone believes 13 is unlucky, they may avoid doing important things on the 13th of a month or avoid room - number 13. It creates a psychological barrier that affects choices.
2. Reading Check: The sound that startles Rainsford out of his drowsiness is the sound of gunshots. The relevant sentence is "An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. Again he heard the sound, and again. Somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times."
3. Reading Skill: From the sound of gunshots, we can infer that there is some sort of activity or conflict happening nearby. It could imply danger or the presence of other people in the otherwise quiet and seemingly isolated area where Rainsford is on the yacht.

Answer:

1. Superstitions can change behavior by creating psychological barriers that influence decision - making.
2. The sound that startles Rainsford is gunshots.
3. We can infer that there is some activity or conflict nearby, possibly danger or the presence of others.