7.
PART B: Which TWO excerpts from the story best support the answer to Part A?

A
“It was about a week after that that the old man, waking suddenly in the night, stretched out his hand and found himself alone. The room was in darkness, and the sound of subdued weeping came from the window.” ( Paragraph 98)
B
“‘Get it,’ she panted; ‘get it quickly, and wish — Oh, my boy, my boy!’ / Her husband struck a match and lit the candle. ‘Get back to bed,’ he said unsteadily. ‘You don’t know what you are saying.’” ( Paragraphs 113-114)
C
“Neither spoke, but both lay silently listening to the ticking of the clock. A stair creaked, and a squeaky mouse scurried noisily through the wall.” ( Paragraph 128)
D
“His wife sat up in bed listening. A loud knock resounded through the house. / ‘It’s Herbert!’ she screamed. ‘It’s Herbert!’” ( Paragraphs 133-134)
E
“But her husband was on his hands and knees groping wildly on the floor in search of the paw. If he could only find it before the thing outside got in.” ( Paragraph 142)
F
“A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road.” ( Paragraph 143)

B  “‘Get it,’ she panted; ‘get it quickly, and wish — Oh, my boy, my boy!’ / Her husband struck a match and lit the candle. ‘Get back to bed,’ he said unsteadily. ‘You don’t know what you are saying.’” ( Paragraphs 113-114)

Explanation:

I believe the answer to PART A is "Their differing points of view and resulting argument create suspense around what choice they will make and how they will respond to the knock at their door." So, this means that the answer to PART B should be related to this.

Choice B shows the differing opinion between the woman from the man. The woman wanted to have her son back by using the monkey's paws for a last wish, while her husband didn't think it was necessary because their son was dead for 10 days already.

the first proposition is to question economic materialism and victorian christianity. the lines are:

“it moves us not.—great god! i'd rather be

a pagan suckled in a creed outworn; ”

wordsworth is stating that nature no longer interests mankind, that the latter is not “moved” by it and explains that ancient western paganism had a more positive attitude concerning nature since it lacked the perv erted judaeo-christian interpretation of having received the world and all its animals and elements from god to use as we , instead of humans actually being not only part of nature but its wardens, meant to appreciate it and protect it.

the next lines are:

“so might i, standing on this pleasant lea,

have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

have sight of proteus coming from the sea;

or hear old triton blow his wreathed horn.”

wordsworth here make it very clear that by actually looking and contemplating nature, human beings would reconnect with happiness, serenity and purpose. the use of mythological figures is quite evocative as well, proteus is a greek mythological god of the changing sea. he personifies the sea that changes, which symbolizes the way nature changes and inevitably can change to be destructive not only due to natural causes but to human pollution. furthermore, the sea is even more symbolic since all life originated in the sea so it is not only our past but our future since no life form in our planet can survive without water and if all water is destroyed in earth all life will be gone as well.

he then uses triton which is symbolic of the synthesis of both nature and mankind. triton is a mythological greek god that has the upper body of a man and the lower body of a fish (a merman). this human fish duality evokes the fact that humans are not only human but also part of nature, the fish tail representing nature. the main attribute of this god was that he used a conch shell as a horn to calm the roaring seas. in other words, triton uses nature through science for the benefit of human sailors who risk death during tempests. with the use of such metaphor, wordworth is conveying the message that human technology   is supposed to use nature to preserve nature and thereby humanity as well.

the answer is somber