7
AssignmentMultiple Choice

An Inner Story of the Civil War

Question 7 • English III A-CR

How does Bierce play with the reader’s expectations in the third section?

Answer
A
He suggests that Farquhar is really a Union spy.
B
He leads the reader to believe that Farquhar may escape his fate.
C
He hints that Farquhar may receive a last-minute pardon.
D
He makes death by hanging seem like an otherworldly experience.

Explanation

In the third section, Farquhar seems to escape the hanging: he frees his hands, avoids the soldiers’ shots, and makes his way home. Bierce describes the escape in vivid detail, encouraging the reader to hope that Farquhar will survive. The ending reveals that this journey happened only in the instant before his death, so the expectation being played with is that he may escape his fate.

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