Question

which quotation from the passage encompasses the climax of the story?

\then the queen took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea.\

\in the morning she was asked how she had slept.\

\oh, very badly! said she. i have scarcely closed my eyes all night.\

Explanation:

Identify the story and plot structure

Using the Story Structure knowledge point, we recognize this text as Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale, "The Princess and the Pea." The plot centers on a prince seeking a "real" princess, and the queen testing a mysterious guest by placing a single pea under twenty mattresses.

Locate the climax of the narrative

Using the Plot Elements knowledge point, the climax is the turning point of highest tension where the main conflict is resolved or decided. In this story, the central question is whether the girl is a "real" princess. The test is whether she can feel the pea. The moment she reveals her sleepless night is the peak of tension and the turning point that proves her identity.

Analyze the given quotations

• "Then [the Queen] took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea." This is part of the rising action, setting up the test.
• "In the morning she was asked how she had slept." This is the transition leading directly into the climax.
• "'Oh, very badly!' said she. 'I have scarcely closed eyes all night.'" This is the climax. Her response reveals she felt the pea, proving she is a real princess and resolving the story's main conflict.

Answer:

• "Then [the Queen] took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea."
• "In the morning she was asked how she had slept."
• "'Oh, very badly!' said she. 'I have scarcely closed eyes all night.'" (Correct answer)