How does the book portray collaboration among contestants?

• A. They always refuse to work together.
• B. They form temporary teams or help each other, balancing cooperation with personal ambition.
• C. They rely solely on individual effort.
• D. They are punished for sharing clues.

Answer: (B)

Collaboration in the story is shown as flexible teamwork: contestants form temporary partnerships and help one another while still pursuing their own goals. The competition brings people together to pool clues, share ideas, and tackle puzzles that are tougher to crack alone. But this cooperation happens alongside individual ambition and healthy rivalry, so alliances can shift and people balance helping others with advancing their own progress. That mix—temporary teams and mutual aid tempered by personal drive—captures how the book depicts collaboration. The other options don’t fit because the contestants aren’t portrayed as always refusing to work together, nor as relying only on individual effort, and sharing clues isn’t something they’re punished for—sharing can be part of how they move forward.