sat-dog

Choice B is the best answer. “Ultimately” logically signals that the information in this sentence—that, for Dillard, nature’s mesmerizing intricacy and pitiless harshness are inextricably linked—is the final conclusion or realization reached after her struggle to reconcile the juxtapositions of the natural world mentioned in the previous sentence. Choice A is incorrect because “to that end” illogically signals that linking nature’s intricacy and harshness was Dillard’s deliberate goal or purpose in struggling to reconcile nature’s juxtapositions. Instead, the sentence presents her final realization after that struggle. Choice C is incorrect because “moreover” illogically signals that the information in this sentence merely adds to Dillard’s struggle to reconcile nature’s juxtapositions mentioned in the previous sentence. Instead, the sentence presents her final realization after that struggle. Choice D is incorrect because “hence” illogically signals that nature’s intricacy and harshness being linked is a direct consequence of Dillard’s struggle to reconcile the juxtapositions mentioned in the previous sentence. Instead, the sentence presents her final realization after that struggle.