Read this excerpt from  frankenstein: [the professor] said, that "these were men to whose indefatigable zeal modern philosophers were indebted. . they had left us, as an easier task, to give new names, and arrange in connected classifications, the facts which they in a great degree had been the instruments of bringing to light. . " i listened to his statement . . and . . requested his advice concerning the books i ought to procure. which topic  best  relates to the theme developed in this passage?   a. story within a story  b. the history of philosophy  c. the need to classify experiences  d. the pursuit of knowledge

We can use process of elimination to determine the best answer for this.

Looking at answer choice A, this would be a fantastic choice as Frankenstein is a frame story. A frame story is a story within a story. Frankenstein is a frame story because Robert Walton is told the story of the Creature and Victor by Victor, so essentially the entirety of the novel is a flashback. However, the excerpt we have here does not discuss this, so it is not the right choice.

Choice B also make a good choice as this excerpt mentions philosophers in it, however, it doesn't seem so much like a history of philosophy is being given here. It's more like the person is talking about what they did as they worked, which would have greatly interested Victor as he also has a zeal for the same things.

Choice C, while still a good option, doesn't quite fit. It talks about classification, but the excerpt doesn't refer to experiences. Based on context, it seems more likely they are classifying something scientifically.

Choice D is your best answer because it discusses the zeal previous philosophers had for learning and making connections between things. This ties in well with the overall plot line of Frankenstein because Victor is zealous about learning the secret to life and creating it himself.