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Test: HSPT Reading
"The Pets of the Elderly" by Matthew Minerd (2013)
Many younger people think that it is a bit strange to see elderly widows and widowers fussing greatly over their pet dogs and cats. While it is perhaps amusing to see a mature adult babying an animal, this aspect of life often is of crucial importance for the health and happiness of these aging persons. Although they have lost their spouses and often have a dwindling number of friends, these people often have a social network outside of the house that can be deceptively large and active. All of this activity can hide the great loneliness that these people experience when they return home. Often having been the shared refuge with the loving presence of a spouse, the widow’s house or apartment can become a lonely isolation cell, no matter how active he or she might be. Pets often are a solution to this loneliness, becoming dear companions in a life that would otherwise be very devoid of personal contact every morning and night. They offer great joy and consolation to these elderly people. It is therefore understandable that their owners often give them such large amounts of attention.
| 1. | What is the purpose of the two underlined sentences? |
To show the absolute dejection of elderly widows and widowers
To show that it is a lie to say that elderly widows and widowers have no friends
To indicate the specific kind of loneliness potentially experienced by elderly widows and widowers
To show the limitations of our presumptions regarding the social lives of elderly widows and widowers
To show the regular awareness of mortality experienced by elderly widows and widowers
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