Question

the arctic prairies: a canoe journey
by ernest thompson seton
chapter ix
ernest thomas seton was a british author and wildlife artist and one of the founding members of the boy scouts of america. he later moved to manitoba in canada, where he published a number of books about the province and its wildlife. in this excerpt, seton describes his experience battling mosquitoes at his camp on a lake in the northwest territories of canada.
(1) dr. l. o. howard¹ tells us that the mosquito rarely goes far from its birthplace. that must refer to the miserable degenerates² they have in new jersey, for these of the north offer endless evidence of power to travel, as well as to resist cold and wind.
(2) on july 21, 1907, we camped on a small island on a lake. it was about one-quarter mile long, several miles from mainland, at least half a mile from any other island, apparently all rock, and yet it was swarming with mosquitoes. here, as elsewhere, they were mad for our blood; those we knocked off and maimed, would crawl up with sprained wings and twisted legs to sting as fiercely as ever, as long as the beak would work.
(3) we thought the stinging pests of the buffalo country as bad as possible, but they proved mild and scarce compared with those we yet had to meet on the arctic barrens of our ultimate goal.
(4) each day they got worse: soon it became clear that mere adjectives could not convey any idea of their terrors. therefore i devised a mosquito gauge³. i held up a bare hand for 5 seconds by the watch, then counted the number of borers on the back; there were 5 to 10. each day added to the number, and when we got out to the buffalo country, there were 15 to 25 on the one side of the hand and elsewhere in proportion. on the nyarling, in early july, the number was increased, being now 30 to 40. on a lake, later that month, there were 50 to 60. but when we reached the barren grounds, the land of open breezy plains and cold water lakes, the pests were so bad that the hand held up for 5 seconds often showed from 100 to 125 long-billed mosquitoes boring away into the flesh. it was possible to number them only by killing them and counting the corpses. what wonder that all men should avoid the open plains, that are the kingdom of such a scourge.
4
select the correct answer from the drop-down menu
look at paragraph 4 of the excerpt
(4) each day they got worse: soon it became clear that mere adjectives could not convey any idea of their terrors. therefore i devised a mosquito gauge. i held up a bare hand for 5 seconds by the watch, then counted the number of borers on the back; there were 5 to 10. each day added to the number, and when we got out to the buffalo country, there were 15 to 25 on the one side of the hand and elsewhere in proportion. on the nyarling, in early july, the number was increased, being now 30 to 40. on a lake, later that month, there were 50 to 60. but when we reached the barren grounds, the land of open breezy plains and cold water lakes, the pests were so bad that the hand held up for 5 seconds often showed from 100 to 125 long-billed mosquitoes boring away into the flesh. it was possible to number them only by killing them and counting the corpses. what wonder that all men should avoid the open plains, that are the kingdom of such a scourge.
how does this show the author refining his idea?
this shows the author refining his idea by
directly relating the claim of dr. l. o. howard
reminding the reader of his initial idea about mosquitoes
describing the physical challenges he encountered on his journey north
providing data that shows an increasing problem as he travels north

Explanation:

The author uses specific, quantified observations (counting mosquitoes on his hand over 5 seconds at different locations and times, with increasing numbers) to refine his idea of how severe the mosquito problem is. The other options are incorrect: he does not directly relate to Dr. Howard's claim here, he is not just reminding of an initial idea but expanding with data, and he is focused on mosquitoes, not general physical challenges of the journey.

Answer:

providing data that shows an increasing problem as he travels north