What happened while Brian was trying to get into the plane?

• A. The plane doors closed by themselves.
• B. He dropped his hatchet.
• C. He found a hatchet inside.
• D. A rope pulled him in.

Answer: (B)

The moment tests how quickly danger and a single crucial tool can be lost in a tense escape. As Brian tries to get into the plane, the chaotic situation—the water, the shifting plane, and his own scramble—causes him to lose his grip on the hatchet and drop it. That hatchet is his most dependable tool for survival, so losing it right when he’s attempting to enter the plane heightens the vulnerability of his situation and foreshadows the tougher improvisation he’ll need to do without it. The other possibilities don’t fit what actually happens in that scene: the doors don’t close by themselves, he doesn’t suddenly find another hatchet inside, and there isn’t a rope pulling him in.