SAT OwlQuestion bank / Command of Evidence
In the 1897 novel The Harbor Light by Margaret Ellery, the narrator portrays Captain Hale as a man whose outward calm hides deep anxiety. This contrast is evident when the narrator says, ______
Which quotation from The Harbor Light most effectively illustrates the claim?
"He was a tall man, broad in the shoulder, with a beard gone gray before its time."
"The crew trusted him completely, for he had brought them safely through a dozen storms."
"He spoke to the crew in the same even tone he used for everything, yet each night he walked the deck until dawn, unable to rest while the barometer fell."
"When the gale struck, he shouted orders over the wind and lashed himself to the wheel."
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The claim requires both outward calm and hidden anxiety. Choice C gives both: Hale speaks in an "even tone" (calm on the surface) but cannot sleep and paces all night as the barometer falls (inner worry). The other choices show only appearance, the crew's trust, or action during a storm.
Choice A's beard "gone gray before its time" may hint at stress, but it shows no contrast between a calm surface and inner anxiety.
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