Question

he spared no one, not even himself, and he drove us on by the sheer force of his will. and then birdie spotted that black flag. . . . amundsen had beaten us to the pole. we put up the tent right away. it was curious how we each reacted to the realisation that our fearful labours had been for nothing. birdie was angry; the norwegians were poor sports, sneaks, not worth bothering about. when the story came to be told our feat of manhauling would be seen as the greater triumph. bill busied himself making a sketch of the cairn and the flag and hardly opened his mouth. scott himself was surprisingly philosophical. i think the shock of disappointment was so severe he could scarcely take it on board. from beryl bainbridge, the birthday boys: a novel. copyright 1991 by beryl bainbridge the previous text suggested that scott and his men were saddened. how does this historical novel build on or challenge that idea? it suggests that scott was less disappointed than his team. it shows how each member of the team reacted differently. it suggests that most of the team was angry at amundsen. it suggests that the team didnt really expect to reach the pole first.

Explanation:

To determine the correct interpretation of the text, we analyze each option:

1. Option 1 ("It suggests that Scott was less disappointed than his team"): The text says Scott’s disappointment "was so severe he could scarcely take it on board," implying Scott was highly disappointed. There’s no indication his team was more disappointed, so this is incorrect.
2. Option 2 ("It shows how each member of the team reacted differently"): The text describes Birdie as angry, Bill as "busied himself making a sketch," and Scott as "surprisingly philosophical" about the disappointment. This shows distinct reactions from different team members, matching the option.
3. Option 3 ("It suggests that most of the team was angry at Amundsen"): Only Birdie is described as angry ("Birdie was angry"); there’s no evidence most of the team felt this way, so this is incorrect.
4. Option 4 ("It suggests that the team didn’t really expect to reach the Pole first"): The text states "our fearful labours had been for nothing" and the reaction to Amundsen beating them implies they did expect to reach the Pole first (hence the disappointment). This is incorrect.

Answer:

1. It shows how each member of the team reacted differently.