Given the author's description of the train crew's behavior, which of the following is an analogous behavior?
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- A football coach who advises his own players to seriously injure the opposing players.
- A ship captain who allows a stowaway to fall of the deck through the normal actions of the working of the ship.
- A school principal who makes many students drop out of school due to excessively harsh rules.
- A senator who ignores his constituents' needs for his own profit.
- An airline pilot who forces a rowdy passenger off of the plane before take-off.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question
The question asks for an analogy to the train crew's behavior. To find the correct analogy, we must first analyze the key elements of the crew's actions as described in the passage.
Step 2: Analyzing the Train Crew's Behavior
The passage describes the brakeman ("shack") actively and deliberately using a coupling-pin on a cord as a weapon to kill the tramp hiding underneath the train. Key elements are:
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{Intentional Harm: The action is not accidental; it is a calculated act of violence intended to cause death ("Every blow...is freighted with death").} \\ \bullet & \text{Abuse of Position: The crew is in a position of power and authority over the operation of the train, and they use this position to commit murder.} \\ \bullet & \text{Deception/Plausible Deniability: The result is later reported as an accident (a drunk tramp falling asleep), hiding the true nature of the act.} \\ \bullet & \text{Retaliation/Vindictiveness: The passage implies this happens on "bad roads" where trainmen have previously been killed by tramps, suggesting a motive of revenge.} \\ \end{array}\]
Step 3: Evaluating the Options
(A) A football coach who advises his own players to seriously injure the opposing players: This is a strong analogy. The coach is in a position of authority and is instructing subordinates to commit a violent act that goes far beyond the rules of the game, with the intent to cause serious harm. This mirrors the crew's intentional, malicious violence.
(B) A ship captain who allows a stowaway to fall...: This describes passive negligence ("allows... to fall") due to "normal actions." The train crew's action is actively and intentionally violent.
(C) A school principal with excessively harsh rules: This may be an abuse of power, but it does not typically involve direct, intentional, physical violence aimed at killing someone.
(D) A senator who ignores his constituents' needs...: This is an act of selfish neglect, not direct physical violence.
(E) An airline pilot who forces a rowdy passenger off the plane...: This is a legitimate action taken to ensure safety and is within the pilot's authority. The train crew's action is illegitimate murder.
Step 4: Final Answer
The football coach's behavior is the most analogous because it involves a person in authority directing others to commit a deliberate act of serious physical harm against another person, breaking established rules in a malicious way.
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