Seeing him, the other boys also started following Jack. At this, Ralph had to change his mind and had to go with Jack. Roger and Ralph waited while Jack went up the mountain. After a while, they found him coming back hurriedly and speaking in a shivering voice,
"I saw a thing on top."
He lay silent for a moment, then muttered.
"Keep a good look out. It may be following."
A shower of ash pattered round them. Jack sat up.
"I saw a thing bulge on the mountain."
"You only imagined it." said Ralph shakily, "because nothing would bulge, not any sort of creature.
Roger spoke to startle them for they had forgotten him. "A frog
Jack giggled and shuddered.
"Some frog. There was a noise too. A kind of 'plop' noise. Then the thing bulged."
Ralph surprised himself by saying,
" We will go and look."
For the first time since he had first known Jack, Ralph could feel him hesitate.
"Now?" His voice spoke for him.
"Of course", said Ralph.
He got off the trunk and led the way across the clinking cinders up into the dark, and others followed. As they came to the last slope, Jack and Roger drew near. By common consent they stopped and crouched together. Behind them, on the horizon, was a patch of light sky where in a moment the moon would rise. The wind roared once in the forest and pushed their rags against them. Ralph stirred.
"Come on."-
Question 1: Why does Ralph change his mind and decide to go with Jack up the mountain?
Answer: Ralph changes his mind and decides to go with Jack up the mountain because the other boys start following Jack, leaving Ralph with no choice but to join them.
Question 2: What does Jack claim to have seen on top of the mountain?
Answer: Jack claims to have seen a bulge on top of the mountain, which he interprets as a creature or something unusual.
Question 3: How does Ralph respond to Jack's claim about seeing something on the mountain?
Answer: Ralph responds shakily, suggesting that Jack only imagined seeing something because nothing, not any sort of creature, would bulge.
Question 4: What does Roger say that startles Ralph and Jack?
Answer: Roger suggests that what Jack saw could have been a frog, which startles Ralph and Jack.
Question 5: How does Ralph surprise himself regarding the decision to go and look?
Answer: Ralph surprises himself by deciding to go and look despite his initial skepticism, showing a willingness to investigate further.
Question 6: How does the paragraph create a sense of suspense and anticipation?
Answer: The paragraph creates suspense and anticipation through the description of the dark and eerie setting, Jack's claim of seeing something mysterious on the mountain, and the decision of the boys to investigate further despite their apprehensions.