Question

answer the questions. he struggled up to the surface and tried to cry out, but the wash from the speeding yacht slapped him in the face and the salt water in his open mouth made him gag and strangle. desperately he struck out with strong strokes after the receding lights of the yacht, but he stopped before he had swum fifty feet. a certain coolheadedness had come to him; it was not the first time he had been in a tight place. there was a chance that his cries could be heard by someone aboard the yacht, but that chance was slender and grew more slender as the yacht raced on. he wrestled himself out of his clothes and shouted with all his power. the lights of the yacht became faint and ever-vanishing fireflies; then they were blotted out entirely by the night.
the receding lights of the yacht can symbolize which of the following themes?

a. the search for personal identity

b. the fading hope of survival

c. the dangers of uncontrolled ambition

d. the strength of familial bonds

Explanation:

The receding lights of the yacht mean the yacht is moving away, reducing the chance of the man being rescued. As the lights fade, his hope of survival (getting help from the yacht) also fades. Option a is about identity, c about ambition, d about family bonds—none match. Only b fits.

Answer:

b. The fading hope of survival