Question

read the following passage from night. in the passage, elie wiesel and his father are being transported to buchenwald concentration camp.

in our wagon, there was a friend of my father’s, meir katz. he had worked as a gardener in buna and from time to time had brought us some green vegetables. less undernourished than the rest of us, attention had been easier on him. because he was stronger than most of us, he had been put in charge of our wagon.
on the third night of our journey, i woke up with a start: a hand was on my throat, trying to strangle me. i barely had time to call out: “father!”
just that one word. i was suffocating. but my father had awakened and grabbed my aggressor. this was to overwhelm him. he thought of calling meir katz: “come, come quickly! someone is strangling my son!”
in a few moments, i was freed. i never did find out why this stranger had wanted to strangle me. but days later, meir katz told my father: “shlomo, i am getting weak. my strength is gone. i won’t make it... ”
“don’t give in!” my father tried to encourage him. “you must resist! don’t lose faith in yourself!”
but meir katz only groaned in response: “i can’t go on, shlomo!... i can’t help it... i can’t go on... ”
my father took his arm. and meir katz, the strong one, the sturdiest of us all, began to cry. his son had been taken from him during the first selection but only now was he crying for him. only now did he fall apart. he could not go on. he had reached the end.
on the last day of our journey, a terrible wind began to blow. and the snow kept falling. we sensed that the end was near; the real end. we could not hold out long in this glacial wind, this storm. somebody got up and yelled: “we must not remain sitting. we shall freeze to death! let’s get up and move... ”
we all got up. we all pulled our soaked blankets tighter around our shoulders. and we tried to take a few steps, to shuffle back and forth, in place. suddenly, a cry rose in the wagon, the cry of a wounded animal: someone had just died. others, close to death, imitated his cry. and their cries seemed to me from beyond the grave. soon everybody was crying. groaning. moaning. a symphony of distress hurled into the wind and the snow.
the lament spread from wagon to wagon. it was contagious. and now hundreds of cries rose at once. the death rattle of an entire convoy with the end approaching. all boundaries had been crossed. nobody had any strength left. and the night seemed endless. meir katz was moaning: “why don’t they just shoot us now?”
that same night, we reached our destination. it was late. the guards came to unload us. the dead were left in the wagons. only those who could stand could leave.
meir katz remained on the train. the last day had been the most lethal: we had been a hundred or so in this wagon. twelve of us left it. among them, my father and myself.
we had arrived in buchenwald.
from the novel night. copyright 1960 by elie wiesel, translation by marion wiesel

how does the anecdote about the attempted strangling contribute to the reader’s understanding of meir katz?

it highlights meir katz’s extreme courage so the reader can better understand why he has been placed in charge of the wagon.

it highlights meir katz’s erratic behavior so the reader can better understand how the death of his son is affecting him.

it highlights meir katz’s initial strength so the reader can better understand how dramatically he changes during the journey.

it highlights meir katz’s constant vigilance so the reader can better understand why elie’s father places so much trust in him.

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option 1: The attempted strangling scene shows Meir Katz helping, but his later breakdown (crying, saying he can't go on) is a change. The option says it's about courage for being in charge, but the scene's main role is to show his initial strength to contrast with later weakness, so this is incorrect.
2. Analyze Option 2: The attempted strangling doesn't show erratic behavior related to his son's death. His erratic behavior (crying, giving up) comes later due to his son's loss, but the strangling scene is about his initial strength, so this is incorrect.
3. Analyze Option 3: The attempted strangling scene shows Meir Katz as strong (able to free the narrator quickly). Later, he breaks down (crying, saying he can't go on) because of his son's death. This contrast between his initial strength and later change is highlighted by the strangling incident, so this is correct.
4. Analyze Option 4: The scene shows his strength in helping, but the later breakdown shows he's not constantly vigilant. His trustworthiness here is about strength, but the main point is the contrast in his state, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

C. It highlights Meir Katz’s initial strength so the reader can better understand how dramatically he changes during the journey.