Question

the phantom rickshaw
by rudyard kipling (adapted excerpt)
this excerpt is from a collection of ghost stories written by rudyard kipling. this story is told through the narrator, jack, who has rejected the affections of mrs. wessington, an officer’s wife with whom he has had an affair. mrs. wessington insists that the end of their romance is a “hideous mistake” and is heartbroken further as jack becomes engaged to kitty, a younger woman he loves. eventually, mrs. wessington dies of a broken heart, and jack is relieved that she can bother him no longer. however, sometime after, jack makes a horrible discovery.
(1) while my waler? was cautiously feeling his way over the loose shale, and kitty was laughing and chattering at my side-while all simla, 3 that is to say as much of it as had then come from the plains, was grouped round the reading-room and pelti’s veranda-i was aware that some one, apparently at a vast distance, was calling me by my christian name. it struck me that i had heard the voice before, but when and where i could not at once determine. in the short space it took to cover the distance between the path from hamilton’s shop and the first plank of the combermere bridge i had thought over half-a-dozen people who might have committed such a solecism, 4 and had eventually decided that it must have been some singing in my ears. immediately opposite pelti’s shop my eye was arrested by the
select the correct answer.
in which paragraph of the excerpt does the tension surrounding mrs. wessington’s presence begin?
a. paragraph 3
b. paragraph 1
c. paragraph 4
d. paragraph 7

Explanation:

To determine where the tension around Mrs. Wessington's presence starts, we analyze each paragraph:

• Paragraph 1: Introduces Jack's rejection of Mrs. Wessington's affections, her insistence the romance is a mistake, Jack's heartbreak, and his later engagement to Kitty. It also mentions Jack's relief she won't bother him and a future "horrible discovery"—this sets up the tension about her presence and the upcoming conflict.
• Paragraph 3: Describes a scene with Waler, shale, Kitty laughing, and a group around a veranda—no direct tension about Mrs. Wessington's presence.
• Paragraph 4: Focuses on the narrator hearing a voice and thoughts about a solecism—unrelated to Mrs. Wessington's tension.
• Paragraph 7: Not visible, but from context, paragraph 1 introduces the romantic conflict and the foreshadowed "horrible discovery" related to her, starting the tension.

Answer:

B. paragraph 1