Question

read the excerpt from chapter 2 of night.
we tried to reason with her, more to calm ourselves, to catch our breath, than to soothe her.
\she is hallucinating because she is thirsty, poor woman... thats why she speaks of flames devouring her...\
but it was all in vain. our terror could no longer be contained. our nerves had reached a breaking point. our very skin was aching. it was as though madness had infected all of us. we gave up. a few young men forced her to sit down, then bound and gagged her.
what quotation indicates that the authors purpose is to justify actions in an intolerable situation?
○ \we tried to reason with her, more to calm ourselves, to catch our breath, than to soothe her.\
○ \but it was all in vain.\
○ \it was as though madness had infected all of us.\
○ \a few young men forced her to sit down, then bound and gagged her.\

Explanation:

The first option shows that the characters are trying to rationalize their actions (reasoning with her) as a way to deal with the intolerable situation (calming themselves, catching their breath). The other options either show futility ("But it was all in vain"), a state of madness ("It was as though madness had infected all of us"), or an action without justifying context ("A few young men forced her to sit down, then bound and gagged her").

Answer:

"A few young men forced her to sit down, then bound and gagged her."