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Question

adapted from The Metamorphosis

by Franz Kafka

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled

dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a

horrible vermin'. He lay on his armor-like back, and if he

lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly

domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The

bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to

slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin

compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about

helplessly as he looked.

"What's happened to me?" he thought. It wasn't a

dream. His room, a proper human room although a little

too small, lay peacetully between its four familiar walls. A

collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table-

Samsa was a traveling salesman--and above it there

hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated

magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a

lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright,

raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her

Directions: Select ALL the correct answers.

Which two sentences or phrases best develop the themes of the passage?

•

He felt a Slight itch up on his belly; pushed himself slowly up on his back towards

the headboard so that he could lift his head better;

"Oh, goodness," he thought, "what a strenuous career it is that I've chosen!

Traveling day in and day out."

but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on

his right, and in his present state couldn't get into that position.

"these gentlemen are always still sitting there eating their breakfasts. I ought to

just try that with my boss

He must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn't have to

look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull

pain.

Dacet

Cuhmit

Answer

"He lay on his armor-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections." and "His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked."

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The two sentences that best develop the themes of the passage are "He lay on his armor-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections." and "His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked." These sentences describe the physical transformation of the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, into a vermin. The description of his armor-like back and his brown belly divided by arches into stiff sections, and his many thin legs waving helplessly, emphasize the grotesque and surreal nature of his transformation. These sentences develop the themes of isolation, alienation, and the loss of identity, as Gregor's transformation separates him from his human identity and his family, who can no longer recognize or communicate with him.