"Heavy Conversation"
Passage from "Heart of
Darkness"
"You knew him well?" she murmured, after a
moment of mourning silence.
"Intimacy grows quick out there," I said.
"I knew him as well as it is possible for one man to know another."
"And you admired him," she said. "It
was impossible to know him and not to admire him. Was it?"
"He was a remarkable man," I said,
unsteadily. Then before the appealing fixity of her gaze, that seemed to watch
for more words on my lips, I went on, "It was impossible not to—"
"Love him," she finished eagerly, silencing
me into an appalled dumbness. "How true! how true! But when you think that no one knew him so well as I! I had all his noble confidence. I knew him
best."
"You knew him best," I repeated. And perhaps
she did. But with every word spoken the room was growing darker, and only her
forehead, smooth and white, remained illumined by the unextinguishable
light of belief and love.
"You were his friend," she went on.
"His friend," she repeated, a little louder. "You must have
been, if he had given you this, and sent you to me. I feel I can speak to
you—and oh! I must speak. I want you—you who have heard his last words—to know
I have been worthy of him. . . . It is not pride. . . . Yes! I am proud to know
I understood him better than anyone on earth—he told me so himself. And since
his mother died I have had no one—no one—to—to—"
I listened. The darkness deepened... And the girl talked, easing her pain in the
certitude of my sympathy; she talked as thirsty men drink.
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) Which of the following took place before the scene in
the above passage?
a.
a man died who both of the characters knew
b.
the girl was hurt in a terrible accident
c.
the narrator was surprised to see an old friend of his
d.
an argument broke out between the narrator and the girl
2) Which of the following best describes the mood of the
girl in the above passage?
a.
optimistic
b.
indifferent
c.
frightened
d.
heartbroken
3) In the above passage, the author uses a simile in which
of the following scenarios?
a.
in the first paragraph to describe the silence in the room
b.
in the third paragraph to describe how much the man was
admired
c.
in the final paragraph to describe the growing darkness
d.
in the final paragraph to describe how much the girl talked
4) In the above passage, it is very important to the girl that
the narrator knows which of the following is true?
a.
that she does not care about the news of the man
b.
that she knew the man better than anybody
c.
that she does not want to speak about the man
d.
that she has had lots of similar experiences in life
5) In the above passage, the author writes: "...every word spoken the room was growing darker, and only her forehead,
smooth and white, remained illumined by the unextinguishable
light of belief and love." This choice of words shows which of the
following?
a.
the growing anger between the narrator and the girl
b.
the contrast between the somber situation and the innocence
of the girl
c.
the refusal of the girl to believe the news that she has
been given
d.
the confusion of the narrator about who the girl really is
6) What is the Point of View of the above passage?
a.
1st person
b.
2nd person
c.
3rd person limited
d.
3rd person omniscient
Answer Key
1)
Which of the
following took place before the scene in the above passage?
a.
a man died who
both of the characters knew
b.
the girl was hurt in a terrible accident
c.
the narrator was surprised to see an old
friend of his
d.
an argument broke out between the narrator and
the girl
2)
Which of the
following best describes the mood of the girl in the above passage?
a.
optimistic
b.
indifferent
c.
frightened
d.
heartbroken
3)
In the above
passage, the author uses a simile in which of the following scenarios?
a.
in the first paragraph to describe the silence
in the room
b.
in the third paragraph to describe how much the
man was admired
c.
in the final paragraph to describe the growing
darkness
d.
in the final
paragraph to describe how much the girl talked
4)
In the above
passage, it is very important to the girl that the narrator knows which of the
following is true?
a.
that she does not care about the news of the
man
b.
that she knew the
man better than anybody
c.
that she does not want to speak about the man
d.
that she has had lots of similar experiences
in life
1)
In the above
passage, the author writes: "...every
word spoken the room was growing darker, and only her forehead, smooth and
white, remained illumined by the unextinguishable
light of belief and love." This choice of words shows which of the
following?
a.
the growing anger between the narrator and the
girl
b.
the contrast between
the somber situation and the innocence of the girl
c.
the refusal of the girl to believe the news
that she has been given
d.
the confusion of the narrator about who the
girl really is
2)
What is the Point
of View of the above passage?
a.
1st
person
b.
2nd person
c.
3rd person limited
d.
3rd person omniscient