What caused Mattie to fall into the pit?

• A. The kick of the pistol when she shot Chaney
• B. The pistol's recoil pushed her backward
• C. A landslide forced her into the pit
• D. The ground opened beneath her

Answer: (A)

Firing a pistol creates recoil or a kick that can throw a shooter off balance. In that moment, Mattie’s shot at Chaney causes the gun to kick, disrupting her stance just enough to make her lose footing and fall into the pit. The fall isn’t due to a landslide or the ground opening, and while recoil is part of firing a gun, the description focuses on the kick during the shot as the direct cause of the tumble. So the kick of the pistol when she shot Chaney best explains why she ends up in the pit.