Question

the following selection is a european folktale.
adapted from \a chapter of fish\
by arthur ransome
sometimes in spring, when the big river flooded its banks and made lakes of
the meadows, and the little rivers flowed deep, old peter spent a few days
netting fish. also in summer he set night - lines in the little river not far from
where it left the forest. and so it happened that one day he sat in the warm
sunshine outside his hut, mending his nets and making floats for them; not
cork floats like ours, but little rolls of the silver bark of the birch tree.
and while he sat there vanya and maroosia watched him, and sometimes even
helped, holding a piece of the net between them, while old peter fastened on
the little glistening rolls of bark that were to keep it up in the water. and all the
time old peter worked, he told them stories about fish.
first he told them what happened when the first pike was born, and how it is
that all the little fish are not eaten by the great pike with his huge greedy
mouth and his sharp teeth.
on the night of ivanovs day (that is the midsummer) there was born the pike,
a huge fish, with such teeth as never were. and when the pike was born the
waters of the river foamed and raged, so that the ships in the river were all but
swamped, and the young girls who were playing on the banks ran away as fast
as they could, frightened, they were, by the roaring of the waves, and the wind
and the foam on the water. terrible was the birth of the sharp - toothed pike.
and when the pike was born he did not grow up by months or by days, but by...
how does the group’s decision in paragraph 20 shape the theme of the
selection?
a it suggests that overpowering a strong villain is impossible
without using violence.
b it shows how using force against the opposition is successful in
stopping a cruel enemy.
c it explains why there are not many small fish in the big river
anymore.
d it reveals that fish have learned the same problem - solving skills
as humans.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The story likely involves the group (probably the small fish or others) dealing with the pike (the villain). If the group's decision shows that non - violent means or a different approach (not just brute force) is needed, but this option says overpowering without violence is impossible, which is likely incorrect.
• Option B: If the group (e.g., small fish or a group of characters) uses force against the pike (the cruel enemy) and it is successful in stopping it, this aligns with how a decision in a folktale can shape the theme of overcoming an enemy through force.
• Option C: The question is about the group's decision shaping the theme, not explaining the number of small fish. So this is irrelevant.
• Option D: Fish having the same problem - solving skills as humans is not a typical theme of a European folktale like this, and the group's decision is not about this.

Answer:

B. It shows how using force against the opposition is successful in stopping a cruel enemy.