Question

question 1 of 25
read the following excerpt from \the pedestrian\ by ray bradbury:

he would stand upon the corner of an intersection and
peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four
directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no
difference; he was alone in this world of a.d. 2053, or as
good as alone...

which statement best explains how the setting affects the meaning of the
story?

a. the indecision about which street to take suggests that the main
character struggles internally.

b. the empty streets suggest that something terrible has happened
to human society.

c. the moonlit avenues convey a feeling of romance or nostalgia for
the good times of ones youth.

d. the motif of water and waves conveys the constant motion of the
characters thoughts.

Explanation:

In the excerpt, the year 2053 and the description of the character being "alone in this world" or "as good as alone" with "empty streets" (implied by the lack of other people) suggest a setting where human society has faced some catastrophic event. Option A focuses on internal struggle (indecision) which is not the main impact of the setting. Option C's mention of romance/nostalgia is not supported by the text. Option D's motif of water/waves is not present in the given excerpt. Option B aligns with the idea that the empty streets (a key part of the setting) imply a terrible event has affected human society.

Answer:

B. The empty streets suggest that something terrible has happened to human society.