The cone

Part A: Which of the following best summarizes a theme in the story?

• Love, especially when it is immoral, cannot overcome true evil.

• Everyone has the capacity for evil, but it takes strength to forgive rather than take revenge.

• Revenge is justified when a person is betrayed by someone they trusted.

• Industrial progress degrades one's humanity and respect for life.

Part B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

• "'None of these men of iron have,' he said sententiously. 'They have no hearts.'" (Paragraph 4)

• "Raut half fancied still that the incident was trivial after all. But Mrs. Horrocks knew her husband better" (Paragraph 35)

• "Was he deluding himself with his own fancies, or had Horrocks actually held him back in the way of the train? Had he just been within an ace of being murdered?" (Paragraph 67)

• "Abruptly, at the sight, the ironmaster's anger passed. A deadly sickness came upon him... His sanity returned to him." (Paragraph 91)

PART A: What does the word "oppressive" mean as used in paragraph 42?

• unfair

• humid

• peaceful

• overwhelming

PART B: Which of the following phrases best supports the answer to Part A?

• "stillness of the evening" (Paragraph 42)

• "weighed heavily upon" (Paragraph 42)

• "side by side down the road in silence" (Paragraph 42)

• "A blue haze, half dust, half mist" (Paragraph 43)

How does the imagery used to describe the ironworks in paragraph 43 contribute to the story's theme?

• It describes the ironworks as awe-inspiring, contributing to the theme that technology should be revered as beautiful.

• It describes the ironworks as dangerously emitting flames, contributing to the theme that anger consumes people and only hurts themselves.

• It describes the ironworks as powerful and advanced compared to the valley, contributing to the theme that technological progress is beneficial, despite its costs.

• It describes the ironworks as a polluting and menacing mass in the valley, contributing to the theme that industry destroys nature.

How does the incident with the train in paragraphs 60-68 develop the story's narrative point of view?

• This event highlights the third-person limited point of view from Raut's perspective by voicing Raut's doubts and preventing the reader from knowing Horrocks' intentions.

• The narration states that Horrocks' purposefully held Raut near the train, providing a look into Horrocks' point of view and confirming that he intends to kill Raut.

• This event uses the third-person omniscient point of view to contrast Horrock's plan to kill Raut against Raut's complete obliviousness to Horrocks' revenge plot.

• The narration implies that Raut is unaware of Horrocks' anger because Raut dismisses any notion of suspicion he may have following the incident with the train.

Part A: How does Mr. Raut's fate affect Mr. Horrocks after he takes his revenge?

• Mr. Horrocks is overcome by his anger and becomes inhuman in his rage, killing Raut quickly and without hesitation.

• Mr. Horrocks is horrified and sickened by what he has done to Raut in his anger, and so he quickly puts Raut out of his misery.

• Mr. Horrocks is terrified that someone will discover his crime, so he destroys the evidence by tipping Raut into the cone.

• Mr. Horrocks is unmoved by Mr. Raut's pained cries and finishes him off by burying him in the cone with fuel from the truck.

Part B: Which of the following paragraphs best supports the answer to Part A?

• Paragraph 85

• Paragraph 90

• Paragraph 91

• Paragraph 94