What is Brinker investigating?

• A. Leper's testimony
• B. Gene's guilt
• C. Finny's accident
• D. The court's procedures

Answer: (C)

Brinker’s action centers on uncovering what happened when Finny fell. He organizes a formal “court of inquiry” precisely to examine the events surrounding Finny’s accident at the Devon tree and to determine whether Gene was responsible or if it was simply an accident. This moment in the novel uses Brinker's methodical, almost prosecutorial approach to reveal the truth and to assign blame or responsibility, which ties directly to themes of guilt, honesty, and the desire for tangible answers in a world of confusion and denial. Leper’s testimony may enter the process as part of the proceedings, but the core focus is the accident itself and what led to Finny’s fall, not the procedures of the court or other tangential matters.