According to the passage about the dog and the prisoner, what emotion was displayed by the dog when it entered the yard?

Introduction / Context:
This reading comprehension question checks careful attention to descriptive details. In the passage, the narrator describes a dog that suddenly appears while a solemn procession is taking a prisoner to the gallows. The question asks what emotion the dog displays. The language used to portray the dog behaviour clearly indicates its emotional state, and our task is to interpret this description accurately rather than guessing based on the serious context of the execution.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The dog appears suddenly in the yard during the grim march towards the gallows.
• It comes bounding with a loud volley of barks and leaps around the group.
• The passage states that it wags its whole body, wild with glee at finding so many human beings together.
• We must pick the option that best matches this described emotion.

Concept / Approach:
The key phrase is wild with glee, which is a direct statement of the dog emotion. Glee means great delight, happiness, or joy. The physical actions support this interpretation: bounding, leaping, barking excitedly, and wagging the whole body are typical signs of a playful, happy dog. Therefore, even though the larger scene is tragic, the dog itself is joyful and excited. Our approach is to match the dictionary meaning of glee and the described behaviour with the given options.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Locate the sentence describing the dog in the passage. Step 2: Note the wording that the dog came bounding among them with a loud volley of barks. Step 3: Observe that the narrator says the dog wagged its whole body, wild with glee. Step 4: Recall that glee means great joy or delight. Step 5: Compare this meaning with the options fear, joy, anger, and alarm. Step 6: Conclude that joy accurately reflects the meaning of glee and the described behaviour of the dog.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify our answer by checking whether any part of the passage suggests fear, anger, or alarm in the dog. The dog is not described as shrinking back, trembling, or hiding, so fear is not indicated. There is no mention of growling, baring teeth, or attacking, so anger is not present. Alarm would imply that the dog is warning others of danger or feeling threatened, but instead it is simply delighted to find many people gathered. The dog treats the prisoners and officials as potential friends to play with, as shown by its attempt to lick the prisoner face. All evidence points to a joyful and playful mood, confirming that joy is the right choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Fear: There is no sign of hesitation or withdrawal; the dog rushes forward without any sign of being afraid.
Anger: The dog does not bark aggressively or try to bite; it behaves in a friendly, playful way instead.
Alarm: The passage does not show the dog warning others or reacting to danger. Rather, it is excited by the presence of people.
Joy: This matches both the word glee in the text and the energetic, playful actions described.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may be influenced by the grim setting of the gallows and assume that every element in the scene must be sad or tense. This can lead them to choose negative emotions even when the text clearly shows a positive one. Another pitfall is overlooking explicit clues like wild with glee and relying only on personal associations with barking. To avoid such mistakes, students should always base their answer on explicit words and phrases in the passage, especially when emotions are directly named by the author.

Final Answer:
The emotion displayed by the dog in the passage is clearly Joy.