Question

read the passage from \by the waters of babylon.\
after a while, i knew that my belly was hungry. i could
have hunted for my meat, but i did not hunt. it is known
that the gods did not hunt as we do—they got their food
from enchanted boxes and jars. sometimes these are
still found in the dead places—once, when i was a child
and foolish, i opened such a jar and tasted it and found
the food sweet. but my father found out and punished
me for it strictly, for, often, that food is death. now,
though, i had long gone past what was forbidden, and i
entered the likeliest towers, looking for the food of the
gods.
i found it at last in the ruins of a great temple in the mid-
city. a mighty temple it must have been, for the roof was
painted like the sky at night with its stars—that much i
could see, though the colors were faint and dim. it went
down into great caves and tunnels—perhaps they kept
their slaves there. but when i started to climb down, i
how does the resolution in this passage help develop the
theme about rules?
○ when the narrator decides not to hunt, he recognizes
that the rules of the gods were better than the rules of
his people.
○ when the narrator enters the temple, he recognizes
that he no longer fears the gods, regardless of what
the rules of his people say.
○ when the narrator avoids the rats, he realizes that he
is going against the teachings of his people, but also
doing what is necessary for his survival.
○ when the narrator decides to ignore his father’s
words and eat the food of the gods, he realizes that he
is learning to make his own choices.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The passage doesn't suggest the narrator thinks gods' rules are better, just that he's acting against his people's rules by seeking gods' food. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The passage focuses on him breaking rules to get food, not losing fear of gods. Eliminate.
• Option 3: The passage doesn't mention avoiding rats or survival - related necessity. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The narrator ignores his people's rules (forbidden to go to certain places, eat gods' food) and decides to eat the food, showing he's making his own choice about rules. This fits the theme of rules (questioning/following his own path over traditional rules).

Answer:

When the narrator decides to ignore his father’s words and eat the food of the gods, he realizes that he is learning to make his own choices.