Question

Why does the author use the phrase "gazed at him with horror" in paragraph 6 ? A. to illustrate how unexpected and unbelievable the news was to Houston's friend B. to emphasize how afraid of him Houston's friend was C. to inform the reader that Houston's appearance had become grotesque D. to show that the friend has become speechless

Short answer

A. to illustrate how unexpected and unbelievable the news was to Houston's friend

Step-by-step solution

Read the paragraph in question carefully

Start by reading paragraph 6 thoroughly. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the context in which the phrase "gazed at him with horror" is used.

Evaluate each option in terms of the context

Analyze each provided option and consider how it relates to the context of the paragraph and the phrase "gazed at him with horror." A. to illustrate how unexpected and unbelievable the news was to Houston's friend B. to emphasize how afraid of him Houston's friend was C. to inform the reader that Houston's appearance had become grotesque D. to show that the friend has become speechless

Eliminate irrelevant options

Exclude options that do not logically connect to the "gazed at him with horror" phrase according to the paragraph's content. Option B suggests that the friend is afraid of Houston, but the paragraph does not provide evidence for this. Hence, we can eliminate this option. Option C implies that Houston's appearance had become grotesque, which is not mentioned in the paragraph. Thus, we can discard this option as well. Option D indicates that the friend has become speechless, which is not directly supported by the given phrase and the situation. So, we can discard this option.

Identify the most suitable option

Now that we have eliminated options B, C, and D, the most suitable option left is: A. to illustrate how unexpected and unbelievable the news was to Houston's friend This answer reflects the context of the paragraph, where the news Houston delivers to his friend is so shocking that the friend gazes at him in horror.