Question

read the passage from animal farm.
napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation into snowballs activities. with his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals following at a respectful distance. at every few steps napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of snowballs footsteps, which, he said, he could detect by the smell. he snuffed in every corner, in the barn, in the cow - shed, in the henhouses, in the vegetable garden, and found traces of snowball almost everywhere. he would put his snout to the ground, give several deep sniffs, and exclaim in a terrible voice, \snowball! he has been here! i can smell him distinctly!\ and at the word \snowball\ all the dogs let out blood - curdling growls and showed their side teeth.
how does the characterization of snowball best support the authors purpose?
○ snowball, characterized as a spy, shows how dictators use people to do their dirty work for them.
○ snowball, characterized as a traitor, shows how dictators use scapegoats to ramp up fear and keep control.
○ snowball, characterized as a villain, shows how even the most loyal subjects can turn against a leader.
○ snowball, characterized as a loner, shows how vital it is for people to escape from dictators like napoleon.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Snowball is not characterized as a spy here; Napoleon is using the pretense of Snowball's "activities" to control, so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: Napoleon portrays Snowball as a traitor (finding "traces" everywhere, using fear from the dogs). Dictators often use scapegoats to create fear and maintain control, which matches the author's purpose in Animal Farm (criticizing dictatorship).
• Option 3: Snowball isn't shown as a former loyal subject turning against; he's framed as a traitor, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: Snowball isn't a loner, and the passage focuses on Napoleon's control, not escape, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

B. Snowball, characterized as a traitor, shows how dictators use scapegoats to ramp up fear and keep control.