Question

review the passage.
salva staggered forward with yet another enormous load of reeds in his arms. everyone was busy. some people were cutting down the tall papyrus grass by the water’s edge. others, like salva, gathered up the cut stalks and took them to the boatbuilders.
among the group were a few people whose home villages had been near rivers or lakes. they knew how to tie the reeds together and weave them cleverly to form shallow canoes.
everyone worked quickly, although there was no way of knowing whether they had to hurry or not, no way of knowing how near the war was. the fighting could be miles away—or a plane carrying bombs could fly overhead at any moment.
it was hard work running back and forth between those cutting and those weaving. but salva found that the work was helping him feel a little better. he was too busy to worry much. doing something, even carrying big, awkward piles of slippery reeds, was better than doing nothing.
every time salva delivered a load of reeds, he would pause for a few moments to admire the skills of the boatbuilders. the long reeds were laid out in neat bunches. each end of a bunch would be tied together tightly. then the bunch of reeds was pulled apart in the middle to form a hollow, and the two sides were tied all along their length to make a basic boat shape. more layers of reeds were added and tied to make the bottom of the boat. salva watched, fascinated, as little by little the curve of a prow and low sides grew from the piles of reeds.
it took two full days for the group to build enough canoes. each canoe was tested; a few did not float well and had to be fixed. then more reeds were tied together to form paddles.
at last, everything was ready. salva got into a canoe between uncle and another man. he gripped the sides of the boat tightly as it floated out onto the nile.
from linda sue park, a long walk to water. copyright 2010 by linda sue park
look at the text in bold. how does this paragraph contribute to the meaning or tone of the passage?
it adds a sense of urgency to the refugees’ work.
it highlights how hopeless and paralyzed the refugees feel.
it emphasizes a new sense of freedom for the group.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the first option: The bold paragraph says people worked quickly as they didn't know how near the war was (bombs could come anytime). This creates urgency about their work.
2. Analyze the second option: The text shows they were working, not hopeless/paralyzed. So this is incorrect.
3. Analyze the third option: The paragraph is about war threat, not freedom. So this is incorrect.

Answer:

It adds a sense of urgency to the refugees’ work.