Question

they truly live on the dry land and run up the palm trees and eat cocoa-nuts, exactly as the girl-daughter promised. but once a year all pau ammas must shake off their hard armour and be soft-to remind them of what the eldest magician could do. and so it isnt fair to kill or hunt pau ammas babies just because old pau amma was stupidly rude a very long time ago.

oh yes! and pau ammas babies hate being taken out of their little pusat taseks and brought home in pickle-bottles. that is why they nip you with their scissors, and it serves you right!

why does the eldest magician ask the fisher of the sea to create the tides?

to help boats travel across the sea
to help pau amma find hiding places
to make it easier for people to catch fish
to help the sea creatures perform their plays

Explanation:

Identify the literary context

Using the Mythological Narrative Analysis knowledge point

The excerpt is from Rudyard Kipling's "The Crab That Played with the Sea" (from Just So Stories). In this mythological narrative, the Eldest Magician organizes the world and assigns "plays" (natural roles and behaviors) to all the animals.

Analyze the character motivations

The Eldest Magician wants to establish order and help the creatures of the sea perform their natural plays. Pau Amma (the giant crab) escapes to the deep sea, causing the waters to rise and fall when he leaves and enters his home (the Pusat Tasek). To regulate this and establish a regular cycle, the Eldest Magician asks the Fisher of the Sea to pull the water back and forth, creating the tides to help the sea creatures perform their plays properly without being disrupted by Pau Amma's irregular movements.

Evaluate the multiple-choice options

• Option 1: "to help boats travel across the sea" — Incorrect; this is a modern human utility, not the mythological reason given in the story.
• Option 2: "to help Pau Amma find hiding places" — Incorrect; Pau Amma's hiding is what caused the water trouble in the first place.
• Option 3: "to make it easier for people to catch fish" — Incorrect; the focus of the Magician's creation is the animals' natural roles.
• Option 4: "to help the sea creatures perform their plays" — Correct; this aligns directly with the central theme of the animals performing their assigned "plays" in the story.

Answer:

• (A) to help boats travel across the sea
• (B) to help Pau Amma find hiding places
• (C) to make it easier for people to catch fish
• (D) to help the sea creatures perform their plays (Correct answer)