Question

read the excerpt from chapter 7 of night. when at last a grayish light appeared on the horizon, it revealed a tangle of human shapes, heads sunk deeply between the shoulders, crouching, piled one on top of the other, like a cemetery covered with snow. in the early dawn light, i tried to distinguish between the living and those who were no more. but there was barely a difference. my gaze remained fixed on someone who, eyes wide open, stared into space. his colorless face was covered with a layer of frost and snow. which statement best describes the atmosphere the author creates? it is an atmosphere of relief it is an atmosphere of hesitation. it is a skeptical atmosphere it is a nightmarish atmosphere

Explanation:

The description of "a tangle of human shapes, heads sunk deeply between the shoulders, crouching, piled one on top of the other, like a cemetery covered with snow" and the difficulty in distinguishing the living from the dead, along with the colorless face covered in frost and snow, creates a very disturbing and nightmare - like scene. There is no indication of relief (no positive or comforting elements), hesitation (no sense of indecision in the scene description), or skepticism (no doubt - related elements). The imagery is more in line with a terrifying, nightmare - like setting.

Answer:

It is a nightmarish atmosphere.