Question

periodicity. they seemed like streams of pulsating fire heating him to an intolerable temperature. as to his head, he was conscious of nothing but a feeling of fullness - of congestion. these sensations were unaccompanied by thought. the intellectual part of his nature was already effaced; he had power only to feel, and feeling was torment. he was conscious of motion. encompassed in a luminous cloud, of which he was now merely the fiery heart, without material substance, he swung through unthinkable arcs of oscillation, like a vast pendulum. then all at once, with terrible suddenness, the light about him shot upward with the noise of a loud splash; a frightful roaring was in his ears, and all was cold and dark. the power of thought was restored; he knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream. there was no additional strangulation; the noose about his neck was already suffocating him and kept the water from his lungs. to die of hanging at the bottom of a river! - the idea seemed to him ludicrous. he opened his eyes in the darkness and saw above him a gleam of light, but how distant, how inaccessible! he was still sinking, for the light became fainter and fainter until it was a mere glimmer. then it began to grow and brighten, and he knew that he was rising toward the surface - knew it with reluctance, for he was now very comfortable. \to be hanged and drowned,\ he thought, \that is not so bad; but i do not wish to be shot. no; i will not be shot; that is not fair.\

Explanation:

The text states "he knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream". This directly corresponds to option D.

Answer:

D. His rope broke and he fell into the water beneath him.