How does the author address fear without reducing its intensity?

• A. By avoiding danger entirely.
• B. By portraying realistic responses to danger and showing incremental coping strategies.
• C. By exaggerating fear to create drama.
• D. By insisting the danger is imaginary.

Answer: (B)

Fear is shown as a real, ongoing force in the wilderness, not something the story pretends to erase. The author places the reader inside the character’s experience, using believable reactions—a quickened pulse, careful hesitation, focused attention—as signs that danger is present and demanding attention. But the narrative doesn’t stop there. It follows practical, incremental coping steps: identify the immediate needs, plan the next action, and test small, doable solutions—like using the hatchet wisely, finding or making shelter, securing a source of fire, and gradually mastering the environment. Each small success builds confidence and keeps fear active, since the threat remains, yet fear becomes something the character learns to manage through preparation, steady effort, and problem-solving. Choosing this approach preserves the intensity of fear while showing how courage and skill grow in response to it. Avoiding danger entirely would remove realism, exaggerating fear would feel artificial, and insisting the danger is imaginary would misrepresent what’s happening.