When Doctor Nakazawa first responded to the unconscious children, what did he think happened to them?

• A. They were poisoned
• B. They were just sleeping
• C. They fainted from heat
• D. They were exhausted

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how a medical professional interprets a sudden, widespread loss of consciousness. When several children collapse at once, poisoning is a plausible and immediate explanation because it can cause abrupt unconsciousness across people who share the same environment or exposure. This fits the urgency of the scene better than other possibilities. Heat-related issues tend to show signs tied to temperature and dehydration, and exhaustion or simply sleeping don’t usually produce a rapid, simultaneous episode across multiple individuals. So the doctor’s initial suspicion—to consider poisoning—matches the pattern, nudging him to investigate toxins and protect others quickly.