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Section 1: Reading Test
QUESTION 1.
Choice A is the best answer. The narrator admits that his job is “irksome”
(line 7) and reflects on the reasons for his dislike. The narrator admits that
his work is a “dry and tedious task” (line 9) and that he has a poor relation-
ship with his superior: “the antipathy which had sprung up between myself
and my employer striking deeper root and spreading denser shade daily,
excluded me from every glimpse of the sunshine of life” (lines 28-31).
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the narrator does not become
increasingly competitive with his employer, publicly defend his choice of
occupation, or exhibit optimism about his job.
QUESTION 2.
Choice B is the best answer. The first sentence of the passage explains that
people do not like to admit when they’ve chosen the wrong profession and
that they will continue in their profession for a while before admitting their
unhappiness. This statement mirrors the narrator’s own situation, as the
narrator admits he finds his own occupation “irksome” (line 7) but that he
might “long have borne with the nuisance” (line 10) if not for his poor rela-
tionship with his employer.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because the first sentence does not discuss
a controversy, focus on the narrator’s employer, Edward Crimsworth, or pro-
vide any evidence of malicious conduct.
QUESTION 3.
Choice C is the best answer. The first paragraph shifts from a general dis-
cussion of how people deal with choosing an occupation they later regret
(lines 1-6) to the narrator’s description of his own dissatisfaction with his
occupation (lines 6-33).
1
, Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the first paragraph does not focus
on the narrator’s self-doubt, his expectations of life as a tradesman, or his
identification of alternatives to his current occupation.
QUESTION 4.
Choice A is the best answer. In lines 27-33, the narrator is describing the
hostile relationship between him and his superior, Edward Crimsworth.
This relationship causes the narrator to feel like he lives in the “shade” and
in “humid darkness.” These words evoke the narrator’s feelings of dismay
toward his current occupation and his poor relationship with his superior—
factors that cause him to live without “the sunshine of life.”
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the words “shade” and “darkness”
do not reflect the narrator’s sinister thoughts, his fear of confinement, or his
longing for rest.
QUESTION 5.
Choice D is the best answer. The narrator states that Crimsworth dis-
likes him because the narrator may “one day make a successful trades-
man” (line 43). Crimsworth recognizes that the narrator is not “inferior
to him” but rather more intelligent, someone who keeps “the padlock of
silence on mental wealth which [Crimsworth] was no sharer” (lines 44-48).
Crimsworth feels inferior to the narrator and is jealous of the narrator’s
intellectual and professional abilities.
Choices A and C are incorrect because the narrator is not described as exhib-
iting “high spirits” or “rash actions,” but “Caution, Tact, [and] Observation”
(line 51). Choice B is incorrect because the narrator’s “humble background”
is not discussed.
QUESTION 6.
Choice B is the best answer. Lines 61-62 state that the narrator “had
long ceased to regard Mr. Crimsworth as my brother.” In these lines, the
term “brother” means friend or ally, which suggests that the narrator and
Crimsworth were once friendly toward one another.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because the narrator originally viewed
Crimsworth as a friend, or ally, and later as a hostile superior; he never viewed
Crimsworth as a harmless rival, perceptive judge, or demanding mentor.
QUESTION 7.
Choice D is the best answer. In lines 61-62, the narrator states that he once
regarded Mr. Crimsworth as his “brother.” This statement provides evidence
that the narrator originally viewed Crimsworth as a sympathetic ally.
2
, Choices A, B, and C do not provide the best evidence for the claim that
Crimsworth was a sympathetic ally. Rather, choices A, B, and C provide evi-
dence of the hostile relationship that currently exists between the narrator
and Crimsworth.
QUESTION 8.
Choice D is the best answer. In lines 48-53, the narrator states that he exhib-
ited “Caution, Tact, [and] Observation” at work and watched Mr. Crimsworth
with “lynx-eyes.” The narrator acknowledges that Crimsworth was “prepared
to steal snake-like” if he caught the narrator acting without tact or being dis-
respectful toward his superiors (lines 53-56). Thus, Crimsworth was trying
to find a reason to place the narrator “in a ridiculous or mortifying position”
(lines 49-50) by accusing the narrator of acting unprofessionally. The use of
the lynx and snake serve to emphasize the narrator and Crimsworth’s adver-
sarial, or hostile, relationship.
Choices A and B are incorrect because the description of the lynx and snake
does not contrast two hypothetical courses of action or convey a resolution.
Choice C is incorrect because while lines 48-56 suggest that Crimsworth is
trying to find a reason to fault the narrator’s work, they do not imply that an
altercation, or heated dispute, between the narrator and Crimsworth is likely
to occur.
QUESTION 9.
Choice B is the best answer. Lines 73-74 state that the narrator noticed
there was no “cheering red gleam” of fire in his sitting-room fireplace. The
lack of a “cheering,” or comforting, fire suggests that the narrator sometimes
found his lodgings to be dreary or bleak.
Choices A and D are incorrect because the narrator does not find his liv-
ing quarters to be treacherous or intolerable. Choice C is incorrect because
while the narrator is walking home he speculates about the presence of a fire
in his sitting-room’s fireplace (lines 69-74), which suggests that he could not
predict the state of his living quarters.
QUESTION 10.
Choice D is the best answer. In lines 68-74, the narrator states that he did not
see the “cheering” glow of a fire in his sitting-room fireplace. This statement
provides evidence that the narrator views his lodgings as dreary or bleak.
Choices A, B, and C do not provide the best evidence that the narrator views
his lodgings as dreary. Choices A and C are incorrect because they do not
provide the narrator’s opinion of his lodgings, and choice B is incorrect
because lines 21-23 describe the narrator’s lodgings only as “small.”
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