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struggle his attention, as an idler might observe the feat of a
juggler, without interest in the outcome. what splendid effort! -
what magnificent, what superhuman strength! ah, that was a
fine endeavor! bravo! the cord fell away; his arms parted and
floated upward, the hands dimly seen on each side in the
growing light. he watched them with a new interest as first one
and then the other pounced upon the noose at his neck. they
tore it away and thrust it fiercely aside, its undulations
resembling those of a water snake. \put it back, put it back!\ he
thought he shouted these words to his hands, for the undoing
of the noose had been succeeded by the direst pang that he
had yet experienced. his neck ached horribly; his brain was on
fire, his heart, which had been fluttering faintly, gave a great
leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth. his whole body was
racked and wrenched with an insupportable anguish! but his
disobedient hands gave no heed to the command. they beat
the water vigorously with quick, downward strokes, forcing him
to the surface. he felt his head emerge; his eyes were blinded
by the sunlight; his chest expanded convulsively, and with a
supreme and crowning agony his lungs engulfed a great
draught of air, which instantly he expelled in a shriek!
read aloud annotate translate
guiding questions
how does farquhar avoid dying at the
bottom of the river?
he gets help from a juggler who
was performing on the side of the
river.
he breaks free from his rope and
makes it to the surface to get a
breath of air.
he kicks to the surface with his arms
tied behind his back.
he uses the cord attached to his
neck to pull himself to the surface.

Explanation:

The text describes Farquhar's actions. The key part is "The cord fell away; his arms parted and floated upward...They beat the water vigorously...forcing him to the surface". This shows he breaks free from the rope (cord fell away) and gets to the surface. Option B matches this as it mentions breaking free from the rope (implied by cord falling away as it was around his neck like a rope - noose situation) and making it to the surface. Option A has a juggler which isn't in the text. Option C says arms tied (but text says arms parted). Option D says using the cord to pull (text says cord fell away).

Answer:

B. He breaks free from his rope and makes it to the surface to get a breath of air.