The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is c. A wound to his arm.
In Liam O’Flaherty’s classic short story, “The Sniper,” the protagonist endures a significant injury that becomes a pivotal point in the narrative. The story is set during the Irish Civil War, with the Republican sniper positioned on a rooftop in Dublin. He is engaged in a tense and deadly duel with an enemy sniper on an opposing rooftop.
After the protagonist reveals his location by shooting at an enemy soldier and an informer in the street below, the opposing sniper takes aim and fires. The bullet does not miss. The text explicitly describes the moment of impact, stating that the bullet struck the sniper’s forearm. The wound is severe; the bone is shattered, and his arm becomes numb and hangs uselessly by his side. This injury is critical to the plot because it incapacitates him, preventing him from using his rifle, his primary weapon.
The sniper’s resourcefulness is then put to the test. Overcoming the excruciating pain, he devises a clever ruse to trick his opponent. He places his cap on the end of his rifle and slowly raises it over the edge of the parapet. The enemy sniper, seeing the cap, fires and hits it. The protagonist then lets the rifle and cap fall to the street below and allows his wounded arm to hang lifelessly over the wall, successfully convincing his adversary that he has been killed. This deception allows him to use his revolver with his uninjured hand to kill the enemy sniper when the man stands up, believing the danger has passed. Therefore, the wound to his arm is not only the physical injury he sustains but also the catalyst for the story’s climactic action and a testament to his cunning under pressure.
