Question

the quest of the silver fleece
by w. e. b. du bois (excerpt)

(1) night fell. the red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. the tall pines lost their slimness and stood in wide blurred blotches all across the way, and a great shadowy bird arose, wheeled and melted, murmuring, into the black-green sky.
(2) the boy wearily dropped his heavy bundle and stood still, listening as the voice of crickets split the shadows and made the silence audible. a tear wandered down his brown cheek. they were at supper now, he whispered-the father and old mother, away back yonder beyond the night. they were far away; they would never be as near as once they had been, for he had stepped into the world. and the cat and old billy-ah, but the world was a lonely thing, so wide and tall and empty! and so bare, so bitter bare! somehow he had never dreamed of the world as lonely before; he had fared forth to beckoning hands and luring, and to the eager hum of human voices, as of some great, swelling music.

23
select the correct answer.
read the excerpts from paragraphs 11 and 12.
(11) it was morning when he awoke and threw a startled glance upward to the twisted branches of the oak that bent above, sifting down sunshine on his brown face and close-curled hair. slowly he remembered the loneliness, the fear and wild running through the dark. he laughed in the bold courage of day and stretched himself.
(12) then suddenly he bethought him again of that vision of the night-the waving arms and flying limbs of the girl, and her great black eyes looking into the night and calling him...
what does the phrase \laughed in the bold courage of day\ mean in the excerpt?

laughing is a great way to relieve fear and tension, so he made himself laugh.
the warm sunshine streaming down on him in the day made him giddy.
everything seemed clearer in the morning, so he no longer feels afraid.
he was able to gather all of his courage after he woke up and stretched.

Explanation:

Analyze the context of the phrase

Using the Context Clues and Literary Tension knowledge points, we examine paragraph 11. The character wakes up to sunshine after a night of "loneliness, the fear and wild running through the dark." The transition from the terrifying night to the bright morning brings a shift in perspective.

Interpret the figurative meaning

The phrase "laughed in the bold courage of day" contrasts the terrifying, shadowy night with the safe, clear daylight. In the morning sun, the fears that seemed overwhelming in the dark lose their power, making him feel brave and relieved.

Evaluate the given options

• Option 1 suggests he forced himself to laugh to relieve tension, which misinterprets the natural relief brought by morning.
• Option 2 mentions feeling "giddy" from sunshine, which is not supported by the text.
• Option 3 states that everything seemed clearer in the morning, so he no longer feels afraid. This directly matches the transition from nighttime fear to daytime courage.
• Option 4 focuses on physical stretching rather than the psychological shift from fear to safety.

Answer:

• Laughing is a great way to relieve fear and tension, so he made himself laugh.
• The warm sunshine streaming down on him in the day made him giddy.
• Everything seemed clearer in the morning, so he no longer feels afraid. (Correct answer)
• He was able to gather all of his courage after he woke up and stretched.