Question

(a pane of glass falls from the window and breaks on the sill.)
hatch: (speaking over his shoulder) hush! be careful, cant you?
harry: hush, you fool.
hatch: has he broken anything?
reddy: (on floor, rubbing his head) ive broke my head.
hatch: thats no loss. has he smashed that silver?
harry: (feeling in bag) it feels all right.
(the light from a candle is seen approaching the curtains.)
hatch: hush! look there!
alice: (whispering) hush! dont make a noise. dont make a noise,
please.
hatch: (in a threatening whisper) dont you make a noise.
alice: i dont mean to. my mother is asleep upstairs and she is very ill.
and i dont want to wake her—and i dont want you to wake her,
either.
reddy: well...we wont get well away until ive had something to eat.
alice: (to reddy.) youll find plates in the pantry, please.
reddy: oh, i dont use them things.
alice: youll use \them things\ when you eat with me. go, do as i tell
you, please.
(reddy exits.)
alice: do you know, ive always wanted to meet a burglar. but its so
difficult. they go out so seldom.
hatch: yes, and they arrive so late.
alice: (laughingly) now, thats much better. its so nice of you to have
a sense of humor...
(three locomotive whistles are heard from just outside the house.)
alice: ah! at last! theyve come. theyve come!
hatch: (fiercely) theyve come! what is it? what does that mean?
what does \apprehensively\ most likely mean
in the context of the passage?
○ quickly
○ confidently
○ fearfully
○ excitedly
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Explanation:

The passage depicts tense, secretive behavior: characters whisper, fear waking a sick woman, and react anxiously to approaching light and outside noises. "Apprehensively" describes a state of anxiety or fear about a potential negative outcome, which matches the fearful, cautious tone of the scene. The other options (Quickly, Confidently, Excitedly) do not align with the anxious context.

Answer:

C. Fearfully