Question

Read the excerpt from "Black Day, 1935."

“You’ve got willpower beyond your years,” Ma said with a smile. Then the smile vanished when another blast shook the house. “I’d better pull that sheet aside and set a lamp in the front window. Your dad may need something to show him the way.” They knew that the light would probably not even reach to the edge of the porch, but somehow it made them both feel better.

Which statement best describes and explains the characters’ actions?

Hans and his mother put a lamp in front of the window to make themselves feel better.
Hans and his mother are shaken by another blast of the blizzard that hits their house.
Hans and his mother know that his father is trying to find his way home in the blizzard.
Hans and his mother are trapped inside the house during the blizzard without his father.

Answer 1

Hans and his mother put a lamp in front of the window to make themselves feel better.

Context clues in the passage lead us to this direct answer.

"Your dad may need something to show him the way.” They knew that the light would probably not even reach to the edge of the porch, but somehow it made them both feel better.

Despite the intention of using the lamp to guide Han's father back to the house, they both subconsciously knew it would not be of much use. Think of it as a nightlight of sorts; protecting you from scary monsters despite such fantasies. The light is more for emotional comfort than it is practical, leading to this correct answer.