“think about something cheerful, old man," he said. "you sail lighter for the loss of forty pounds.” this quote portrays santiago as : a. silly old man. b. a tragic hero. c. a realist. d. a pessimist.

B. a tragic hero.

Explanation:

In these lines, we learn that the "old man" has lost forty pounds. This would usually make a person sad or angry. However, we see that Santiago takes a positive view of the matter. He tries to cheer the man up and look at the bright side of things. Santiago tells the man to think of the loss as making him lighter, and thus travelling better. This positive outlook and strength of character show that Santiago is a tragic hero.

answer: do

the 'italicized phrase' is a noun clause that is used as a direct object.