Question

ghost stories go back to ancient times. in the 2nd century a.d., the ancient roman writer and statesman pliny the younger wrote about a haunted house in athens, greece:
there was at athens a large and roomy house, which had a bad name, so that no one could live there. in the dead of the night a noise, resembling the clashing of iron, was frequently heard, which, if you listened more attentively, sounded like the rattling of chains, distant at first, but approaching nearer by degrees: immediately afterwards a spectre appeared in the form of an old man, of extremely emaciated and squalid appearance, with a long beard and dishevelled, hair, rattling the chains on his feet and hands. the distressed occupants meanwhile passed their wakeful nights under the most dreadful terrors imaginable... even in the daytime, though the spirit did not appear, yet the impression remained so strong upon their imaginations that it still seemed before their eyes, and kept them in perpetual alarm.
which event from \a dark and stormy night\ most likely was inspired by a ghost story like pliny the younger’s?
○ reading ghost stories in a dark attic, creating a sense of anxiety
○ hearing a strange sound in the house, then seeing a ghost - like figure
○ the creak - scrape sound and the black feather, having no logical explanation
○ the reference to a ouija board, which is meant to receive messages from the spirit world

Explanation:

In Pliny the Younger’s ghost story, the sequence is: hearing a strange noise (clashing of iron, rattling chains) followed by seeing a ghost - like figure (the spectre of an old man). We need to find the event in "A Dark and Stormy Night" that has a similar sequence.

• The first option is about reading ghost stories and anxiety, not matching the sound - ghost figure sequence.
• The second option (hearing a strange sound in the house, then seeing a ghost - like figure) matches the sequence in Pliny's story.
• The third option is about sounds and a feather with no logical explanation, not involving seeing a ghost - like figure after a sound.
• The fourth option is about a Ouija board, which is a different concept from the sound - ghost figure sequence.

Answer:

B. hearing a strange sound in the house, then seeing a ghost - like figure