Question

the phantom rickshaw
by rudyard kipling (adapted excerpt)
this excerpt is from a collection of ghost stories written by rudyard kipling. this story is told through the narrator, jack, who has rejected the affections of mrs. wessington, an officer’s wife with whom he has had an affair. mrs. wessington insists that the end of their romance is a “hideous mistake” and is heartbroken further as jack becomes engaged to kitty, a younger woman he loves. eventually, mrs. wessington dies of a broken heart, and jack is relieved that she can bother him no longer. however, sometime after, jack makes a horrible discovery.
(1) while my waler? was cautiously feeling his way over the loose shale, and kitty was laughing and chattering at my side-while all simla, 3 that is to say as much of it as had then come from the plains, was grouped round the reading-room and peliti’s veranda-i was aware that some one, apparently at a vast distance, was calling me by my christian name. it struck me that i had heard the voice before, but when and where i could not at once determine. in the short space it took to cover the road between the path from hamilton’s shop and the first plank of the combermere bridge i had thought over half-a-dozen people who might have committed such a solecism, 4 and had eventually decided that it must have been some singing in my ears. immediately opposite peliti’s shop my eye was arrested by the
select the correct text in the passage.
which detail helps the reader infer that jack is seeing something supernatural?
(2) “kitty,” i cried, “there are poor mrs. wessington’s hamperies turned up again! i wonder who has them now?”
(3) “what? where?” she asked. “i can’t see them anywhere.”
(4) even as she spoke, her horse, swerving from a laden mule, threw himself directly in front of the advancing rickshaw i had scarcely time to utter a word of warning when, to my unutterable horror, horse and rider passed through man and canopies as if they had been thin air.

Explanation:

To determine which detail shows Jack seeing something supernatural, we analyze each option:

• Option (2): Kitty's comment about Mrs. Wessington's hamper is about its disappearance, not supernatural sighting by Jack.
• Option (3): Kitty's question about location is about找不到 Mrs. Wessington's hamper, not Jack's supernatural experience.
• Option (4): The horse and rider passing through men and carriages as if they were thin air implies they are supernatural (not physical), which shows Jack seeing something supernatural.

Answer:

(4) Even as she spoke, her horse, swerving from a laden mule, threw himself directly in front of the advancing rickshaw I had scarcely time to utter a word of warning when, to my unutterable horror, horse and rider passed through men and carriages as if they had been thin air.