1. Why does the author likely include the story of
William Offett in the beginning of the passage
(Paragraphs 1-6)?

b is the answer.   i sat on the lumpy sofa, totally exhausted, with a bad taste in my mouth, wondering what i should do next.  

the sentence that best describes the tone of the passage from the radio broadcast compared to the passage from the book is b. the radio broadcast has a more surprised tone.

consider the text evidence: in the passage from the book, the description is more matter-of-fact. it is simply describing the things resembling little grey snakes, but there is no urgency in the description. on the other hand, in the passage from the radio broadcast, there is definetely urgency (you can tell from the expression used, "good heavens", which clearly indicates surprise.)

direct object would be the answer

assuming the underlined word is "regnant", the correct answer is b) ruling.