Question

the edge of the world
based on a true story
early one morning, thirteen men from cape prince of
wales, the westernmost point of north america, started out
on the ice to hunt. they expected to return the same day, and
so they went without provisions of food and clothes. some of
them went without their warmest furs, because the weather
was supposed to be fair. happy in the prospect of the hunt,
the men had no idea of how the day would turn against them.
they had hardly walked seven miles when, because of a
sudden north wind, they realized they must head toward the
shore for safety—but it was already too late. to their dismay,
they found they were floating southward on an immense floe
of ice.
amanuq said, \we are separated from the land by more
than half a mile of water.\
sivoy, their leader, said, \there is only one hope, and it is
very small. if the floe passes within shouting distance of
king’s island, we could be saved by the cliff dwellers.\
\but king’s island,\ pakak said, \is at least 90 miles south.
it is a mere speck in the ocean.\
sivoy asked irniq, the expert navigator among them, \how
long will it take to reach the island?\
irniq replied, \the current is against the wind. we do not
know if the wind will continue to blow from the north. i could
not say, but we must make ready for the worst.\
sivoy agreed, \we must build shelters.\
after some discussion, they divided themselves into two
groups to build shelters. using their knives and snowshoes,
they built snow houses. the first group built an air - tight
house. after the first night, the men who slept in the air - tight
house were wet with condensation and nearly frozen. the
men in the second group, however, knew that they must have
ventilation, and so the second group had kept warm and dry.
what is the main conflict in the story?
a. the watchman on king’s island welcomes the men on the island.
b. to survive, the men build snow houses using their snowshoes and knives.
c. the men do not realize that the wind is blowing toward the north.
d. the ice floe begins to float away, leaving the men stranded.

Explanation:

To determine the main conflict, we analyze each option:

• Option A describes a welcoming action, not a conflict.
• Option B is about survival actions (building snow houses) which is a response to the conflict, not the conflict itself.
• Option C is about the men's lack of awareness of wind direction, but the main conflict arises from the ice floe floating away.
• Option D states that the ice floe begins to float away, leaving the men stranded. This is the core problem (conflict) as it creates the situation where they have to survive and find a way back.

Answer:

D. The ice floe begins to float away, leaving the men stranded.