When the speaker in edgar allan poe’s “the raven” hears tapping on his door, he hesitates. why does he wait before opening the door? he decides to look out the window. he needs to gather his courage. he pauses to listen for voices. he wants to turn on the light.

The answer woudl be: He needs to gather his courage.

As he was alone and it was the middle of the night he was scared but after a few minutes he realized that it could be a visitor or someone else...

He needs to gather his courage.

Explanation:

Edgar is actually unsure of what he is going to find once he opens the door. It could be just a visitor or it could someone who he doesn't want to meet or that he isn't prepared to. He was afraid and he had to find his courage to open the door.

c. explains words’ origins and variations.