The completed suicides of Ernest Hemingway and Sylvia Plath differed most notably in:

• A. frequency of attempts
• B. deliberateness or intentionality
• C. the presence of external pressures
• D. the timing of the deaths

Answer: (B)

Deliberateness of the act, or how clearly a person expresses the wish to die and how much planning goes into carrying it out, is what this item is testing. When comparing Hemingway and Plath, the most notable difference discussed is the level of intentionality behind their deaths. Sylvia Plath is typically described as having a distinctly deliberate plan to end her life, with clear evidence of intent such as a suicide note and writings that reveal a sustained wish to die, signaling high intentionality. Ernest Hemingway’s death is framed within a long struggle with illness and depression and, while it was planned, the emphasis in biographical discussions often centers more on the crisis and circumstances surrounding the act rather than explicit, long-term premeditation. Because the central distinction lies in how intentional and premeditated the act was, that is the best answer. The other factors—frequency of attempts, external pressures, and timing of the deaths—do not capture this primary contrast as directly.