Question

3 so now you understand, reader, in a sense i am acquainted with all petersburg. 4 i have mentioned already that i had felt worried for three whole days before i guessed the cause of my uneasiness. and i felt ill at ease in the street—this one had gone and that one had gone, and what had become of the other?—and at home i did not feel like myself either. for two evenings i was puzzling my brains to think what was amiss in my corner; why i felt so uncomfortable in it. and in perplexity i scanned my grimy green walls, my ceiling covered with a spider’s web, the growth of which matrona¹ has so successfully encouraged. i looked over all my furniture, examined every chair, wondering whether the trouble lay there (for if one chair is not standing in the same position as it stood the day before, i am not myself). i looked at the window, but it was all in vain . . . i was not a bit the better for it! . . . 34 how does the phrase \puzzling my brains\ (paragraph 4) emphasize the frustrated mood of the passage? ① by revealing how the narrator classifies his emotional challenges ② by demonstrating that the narrator refuses to try to face his problems ③ by describing the narrator’s indecision about most aspects of his home ④ by illustrating how overwhelming the narrator’s emotions have become

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option A: The phrase "puzzling my brains" is about the narrator trying to figure out the cause of discomfort, not classifying emotional challenges. Eliminate A.
2. Analyze Option B: The narrator is actively trying to find the cause (scanning walls, examining furniture), so he is not refusing to face problems. Eliminate B.
3. Analyze Option C: The narrator is trying to find what's amiss, not being indecisive about home aspects. He has a clear goal of finding the cause. Eliminate C.
4. Analyze Option D: "Puzzling my brains" for two evenings, along with scanning, examining, etc., shows the narrator is deeply troubled and his emotions are overwhelming as he can't find the cause, emphasizing frustration. This fits.

Answer:

D. by illustrating how overwhelming the narrator’s emotions have become