Question

Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.” How shall I tell what I saw? There was no smell of man left, on stone or metal. Nor were there many trees in that wilderness of stone. There are many pigeons, nesting and dropping in the towers—the gods must have loved them, or, perhaps, they used them for sacrifices. There are wild cats that roam the god-roads, green-eyed, unafraid of man. At night they wail like demons but they are not demons. The wild dogs are more dangerous, for they hunt in a pack, but them I did not meet till later. Everywhere there are the carved stones, carved with magical numbers or words. How do details such as "stone or metal,” "many pigeons,” "towers,” and "wild cats that roam the god-roads” help establish setting? They create a feeling of a small mythical kingdom. They build an atmosphere of a preindustrial society. They give the sense that nature has taken over a once-urban area. They develop the feeling of an ancient village of a polytheistic culture.

Answer 1

The correct answer is “They give the sense that nature has taken over a once-urban area”. Taken from the short story “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benét (1937), the passage presented above narrates the moment when John, the son of a priest, visits the Place of the Gods. The Place of the Gods or The Dead Place was a great city that was destroyed by a great burning and it was said to be inhabited with spirits and demons since then. Since the passage describes this desolate place, the writer used a suspense tone in the narration. It is said to be desolate because the state of the place is completely empty, and nature has taken over the place. In fact, the words “stone or metal,” “many pigeons,” “towers,” and "wild cats that roam the god-roads” describe the details of a desolate place that has been taken over by nature, which is the Place of the Gods.

Answer 2

Answer:

A. They give the sense that natur has taken over a once-urban town.

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