Which of the following lines from "the tall woman and her short husband" best supports the story's main idea about the need to save face? a. "after slogans had been shouted, passionate accusations were made, punctuated by more slogans. the pressure built up." b. "what use was sincerity? to believe in her would have made the whole business a farce." c. "no matter what bullies sprang forward to shake their fists at her, or what tricky questions were asked to try to trap her, she simply shook her head." d. "if he hadn't had money who'd want such a short fellow! ' she sounded rather smug, as if she alone had seen through mrs. tall"

first of all the mood needs to be defined: it is obviously a mood of deceitful relief and serenity. why? because the cape horn is one of the most violent maritime regions of earth and although it has been left behind, it is a personification of ahab’s delirium and the fact that the end of the passage speaks about it about being “hidden” but “raving” immediately conveys the feeling the calm is not permanent but fleeting.

furthermore, the oxymoron “mild stun'sails” is the first instance of such feeling as the adjective “mild” is associated with “stunned” underscoring the fleeting nature of this “tranquil” moment. and the contrasts keep piling up, with the opposition between “dark den” and “blessed light and air” to end with the final conclusion that leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that this is just a reprieve.