What does the sentence 'for years we had not listened, because the harbour had always been there' suggest about the community?
They had been telling us for years that the harbour would not last, and for years we had not listened, because the harbour had always been there. It had outlived the herring, the railway, the cannery, and three generations of men who swore it would see them out. Yet this winter, when the first storm took the lamp from the end of the wall and the second took the wall itself, nobody spoke of it as a surprise. They stood in the half-light, hands in pockets, and looked at the water going where it pleased. There is a particular silence that comes when a thing is lost that everyone secretly knew was fragile, and I have never heard it so loud.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. They ignored warnings
- Step 1: The warnings had been given for years.
- Step 2: The community assumed it would always be there, so they did not act.
Answer
They ignored warnings.
Why not the others: They had never been told about the danger: they had been telling us for years. They listened carefully but could do nothing: they did not listen. They were pleased that the harbour was ending: there is no suggestion of being pleased.
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