Question

read the excerpt from act 1 of the monsters are due on maple street.

don
(picking up the cue)
sure. thats the kind of thing - like sun spots. they raise cane with radio reception all over the world. and this thing being so close - why theres no telling the sort of stuff it can do.
(he wets his lips, smiles nervously)
go ahead, charlie. you and steve go into town and see if that isnt whats causing it all.

what do the stage directions tell the reader about dons feelings?
he feels threatened by steve and charlie.
he may be more worried about the flash than he is admitting.
he is confident about the cause of the power outage.
he knows that tommy is right but is keeping his feelings a secret.

Explanation:

Analyze the stage directions

The stage directions for Don state: "(picking up the cue)" and "(he wets his lips, smiles nervously)".

Connect physical actions to emotional state

Wetting one's lips and smiling nervously are classic physical indicators of anxiety, apprehension, or fear. Don is trying to appear cooperative or agreeable ("Sure. That's the kind of thing...") but his physical actions betray his internal tension.

Evaluate the multiple-choice options

• Option 1: "He feels threatened by Steve and Charlie." - The text shows him responding to Charlie's suggestion, but the nervousness is about the situation (the flash/sun spots) rather than direct threat from them.
• Option 2: "He may be more worried about the flash than he is admitting." - This matches perfectly. His spoken words try to downplay or rationalize the event ("Sure. That's the kind of thing..."), but his nervous smile and lip-wetting show he is deeply worried.
• Option 3: "He is confident about the cause of the power outage." - Incorrect, his nervous behavior contradicts confidence.
• Option 4: "He knows that Tommy is right but is keeping his feelings a secret." - Tommy is not mentioned in this specific excerpt.

Answer:

• He feels threatened by Steve and Charlie.
• He may be more worried about the flash than he is admitting. (Correct answer)
• He is confident about the cause of the power outage.
• He knows that Tommy is right but is keeping his feelings a secret.