Question

gilgamesh a new english version, book iv
translated by stephen mitchell
at four hundred miles they stopped for eat,
at a thousand miles they pitched their camp
they had traveled for just three days and nights,
a six weeks journey for ordinary men
when the sun was setting they dug a well
they filled their waterskins with fresh water
gilgamesh climbed to the mountaintop
he poured out flour as an offering and said,
\mountain, bring me a favorable dream\
enkidu did the ritual for dreams,
praying for a sign. a gust of wind
passed he built a shelter for the night,
placed gilgamesh on the floor and spread
a magic circle of flour around him
then sprawled like a net across the doorway
gilgamesh sat there, with his chin on his knees,
and sleep overcame him as it does all men
at midnight he awoke he said to enkidu,
\what happened? did you touch me? did a god pass by?
what makes my skin creep? why am i cold?
enkidu, dear friend, i have had a dream
a horrible dream we were walking in a gorge,
and when i looked up, a huge mountain loomed
so huge that we were as small as flies
then the mountain fell down on top of us
dear friend tell me, what does this mean?\
gilgamesh climbed to the mountaintop
which statement best describes the epic feature used in this excerpt and its
affect on the plot?
the use of poetic verse causes the narrative to
become confusing
the long and difficult journey reflects how strong
and enduring gilgamesh is
the interference of the gods creates more tension
and suspense in the plot
the presence of a brave hero indicates that the
challenge ahead will be simple

Explanation:

Epic features often include heroes on long, arduous journeys. In this excerpt, the description of traveling great distances (four hundred miles to eat, a thousand miles to pitch camp, a journey that should take six weeks done in three days) shows a long and difficult journey. This type of journey in an epic is used to highlight the hero's (Gilgamesh) strength and endurance. The poetic verse is a common form in epics but doesn't make the narrative confusing here. There's no clear indication of god interference creating tension in this specific excerpt. And the presence of a brave hero in an epic usually means the challenges ahead are great, not simple.

Answer:

The long and difficult journey reflects how strong and enduring Gilgamesh is.