Question

read the excerpt from around the world in eighty days by jules verne. but the red sea is full of caprice, and often boisterous, like most long and narrow gulfs. when the wind came from the african or asian coast the mongolia, with her long hull, rolled fearfully. then the ladies speedily disappeared below; the pianos were silent; singing and dancing suddenly ceased. yet the good ship ploughed straight on, unretarded by wind or wave, towards the straits of bab - el - mandeb. what was phileas fogg doing all this time? it might be thought that, in his anxiety, he would be constantly watching the changes of the wind, the disorderly raging of the billows - every chance, in short, which might force the mongolia to slacken her speed, and thus interrupt his journey. but, if he thought of these possibilities, he did not betray the fact by any outward sign. which choice provides an objective summary of the excerpt? a. phileas fogg is quite calm despite the uncalm red sea. even though the winds are strong, the ship is not slowing down. thus, he is not concerned about his trip being interrupted. b. sailing through the red sea, the ship encounters strong winds. despite the possibility that the storm might slow the ship down, phileas fogg appears to be unconcerned. c. the ship hits high winds sailing through the red sea. yet the ship ploughs straight on, neither the wind nor the waves slowing it down. thus, phileas fogg does not worry about the time. d. sailing through the red sea can be very dangerous due to winds coming from either africa or asia. any passenger on board would be wise to go below when storms hit.

Explanation:

The excerpt describes the ship sailing through the Red - Sea with strong winds. It also mentions Phileas Fogg's apparent lack of concern despite the possibility of the storm slowing the ship. Option B accurately and objectively summarizes these key points. Option A incorrectly states that the ship is not slowing down and that Fogg is not concerned about his trip being interrupted. Option C focuses more on the ship's speed rather than Fogg's demeanor. Option D is more about the danger to passengers in general rather than summarizing the main points related to the ship and Fogg.

Answer:

B. Sailing through the Red Sea, the ship encounters strong winds. Despite the possibility that the storm might slow the ship down, Phileas Fogg appears to be unconcerned.