Advanced Placement (AP)
Its comforting to know Chris was here, Billie explains, to know for certain that he spent time beside this river, that he stood on this patch of ground. So many places weve visited in the past three yearswed wonder if possibly Chris had been there. It was terrible not knowingnot knowing anything at all. Many people have told me that they admire Chris for what he was trying to do. If hed lived, I would agree with them. But he didnt, and theres no way to bring him back. You cant fix it. Most things you can fix, but not that. I dont know that you ever get over this kind of loss. The fact that Chris is gone is a sharp hurt I feel every single day. Its really hard. Some days are better than others, but its going to be hard every day for the rest of my life. Abruptly, the quiet is shattered by the percussive racket of the helicopter, which spirals down from the clouds and lands in a patch of fireweed. We climb inside; the chopper shoulders into the sky and then hovers for a moment before banking steeply to the southeast. For a few minutes the roof of the bus remains visible among the stunted trees, a tiny white gleam in a wild green sea, growing smaller and smaller, and then its gone. (203) What effect do the words abruptly, shattered, and percussive have in the final paragraph above? A. They exemplify Krakauers tendency to overwrite. B. They mimic the intrusion of the helicopter through sounds. C. They draw in the reader emotionally. D. They illustrate the harsh reality of the Alaskan wilderness. E. They stand as a metaphor for Chris character. Please select the best answer from the choices provided A B C D E