Question

read the passage from lord of the flies by william golding.

jack stood there, streaming with sweat, streaked with brown earth, stained by all the vicissitudes of a day’s hunting. swearing, he turned off the trail and pushed his way through until the forest opened a little and instead of bald trunks supporting a dark roof there were light grey trunks

and crowns of feathery palm. beyond these was the glitter of the sea and he could hear voices. ralph was standing by a contraption of palm trunks and leaves, a rude shelter that faced the lagoon and seemed very near to falling down. he did not notice when jack spoke.

“got any water?”

ralph looked up, frowning, from the complication of leaves. he did not notice jack even when he saw him.

“i said have you got any water? i’m thirsty.”

what is the universal theme of this passage?
○ the loss of innocence
○ the tension between freedom and responsibility
○ society’s dependence on authority
○ humanity’s search for meaning in the world

Explanation:

To determine the universal theme, analyze each option:

• "the loss of innocence": The passage focuses on Jack's hunting and interaction with Ralph, not innocence loss.
• "the tension between freedom and responsibility": Jack is free to hunt, while Ralph is responsible for building shelters. Their differing focuses (Jack's freedom in hunting vs. Ralph's responsibility with the shelter) create tension, matching the interaction here.
• "society’s dependence on authority": No emphasis on authority dependence in this passage.
• "humanity’s search for meaning": The passage is about immediate needs (thirst, shelter, hunting), not existential meaning - seeking.

Answer:

the tension between freedom and responsibility