Passage Meaning and Inference
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GED Language Arts (RLA) › Passage Meaning and Inference
1 I have just returned from a visit to my landlord—the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. 2 This is certainly a beautiful country! 3 In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. 4 A perfect misanthropist’s heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. 5 A capital fellow! 6 He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name.
… 7 \[he\] sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court,—‘Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood’s horse; and bring up some wine.’
… 8 Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy. 9 ‘The Lord help us!’ he soliloquised in an undertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse: looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner.
In Sentence 7, what is a “causeway”?
Elevated path
Stairwell
Main house
Servant’s quarters
Stables
Explanation
The definition of a causeway is a road, path, or highway traveling on top of a bank of earth. Without knowing this definition, thought, it would be possible to narrow down your choices based on the context that the word appears in. Joseph “preceded \[the speaker\] up the causeway,” so the word must be something that can be traveled upon.
Passage adapted from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, 1847.
1 I have just returned from a visit to my landlord—the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. 2 This is certainly a beautiful country! 3 In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. 4 A perfect misanthropist’s heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. 5 A capital fellow! 6 He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name.
… 7 \[he\] sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court,—‘Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood’s horse; and bring up some wine.’
… 8 Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy. 9 ‘The Lord help us!’ he soliloquised in an undertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse: looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner.
What literary device can be seen in Sentence 1?
Aaposiopesis
Polysyndeton
Metaphor
Simile
Paradox
Explanation
In Sentence 1, the speaker breaks off suddenly with an em-dash. This is a classic example of aposiopesis. Metaphor and simile are both comparisons, paradox is a contradictory statement, and polysyndeton is the excessive use of conjunctions.
Passage adapted from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847)
1 I have just returned from a visit to my landlord—the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. 2 This is certainly a beautiful country! 3 In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. 4 A perfect misanthropist’s heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. 5 A capital fellow! 6 He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name.
… 7 \[he\] sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court,—‘Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood’s horse; and bring up some wine.’
… 8 Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy. 9 ‘The Lord help us!’ he soliloquised in an undertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse: looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner.
In Sentence 9, what does “soliloquised” imply?
Although he is not specifically addressing the other characters, Joseph does not care if they overhear him
Joseph is being histrionic
Although he likes the other characters, Joseph is attempting to convey dislike
Joseph despises the new character based on a complex set of emotions
Joseph is attempting to be ingratiating
Explanation
In drama, a soliloquy is a speech delivered when a character is alone on stage. That’s clearly not the context of this utterance. Still, we can surmise that the author chose the word to indicate that Joseph is speaking as if he is alone. In other words, he is speaking without particular regard for who overhears him.
Passage adapted from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, 1847.
1 I am a rather elderly man. 2 The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. 3 I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep.
4 … I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. 5 Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. 6 I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. 7 All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man. 8 The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. 9 I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion. 10 I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion.
11 Some time prior to the period at which this little history begins, my avocations had been largely increased. 12 The good old office, now extinct in the State of New York, of a Master in Chancery, had been conferred upon me. It was not a very arduous office, but very pleasantly remunerative.
Why does the speaker claim to enjoy saying John Jacob Astor’s name?
It has a pleasant, rich sound
It silences the speaker’s critics
It evokes another era
It thrills his audience
It reminds the speaker of another familiar name
Explanation
Sentence 9 gives us the following words: “a name which… I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion.” In other word, the mellifluous quality of the man’s name makes the speaker enjoy pronouncing it aloud. The speaker likes this name for purely sonic reasons and nothing more.
Passage adapted from Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” (1853)
1 I am a rather elderly man. 2 The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. 3 I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep.
4 … I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. 5 Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. 6 I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. 7 All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man. 8 The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. 9 I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion. 10 I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion.
11 Some time prior to the period at which this little history begins, my avocations had been largely increased. 12 The good old office, now extinct in the State of New York, of a Master in Chancery, had been conferred upon me. It was not a very arduous office, but very pleasantly remunerative.
Why does the speaker claim to enjoy saying John Jacob Astor’s name?
It has a pleasant, rich sound
It silences the speaker’s critics
It evokes another era
It thrills his audience
It reminds the speaker of another familiar name
Explanation
Sentence 9 gives us the following words: “a name which… I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion.” In other word, the mellifluous quality of the man’s name makes the speaker enjoy pronouncing it aloud. The speaker likes this name for purely sonic reasons and nothing more.
Passage adapted from Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” (1853)
"God forgive me," said the young man, "for rejoicing at happiness derived from the misery of others, but, Heaven knows, I did not seek this good fortune; it has happened, and I really cannot pretend to lament it. The good Captain Leclere is dead, father, and it is probable that, with the aid of M. Morrel, I shall have his place. Do you understand, father? Only imagine me a captain at twenty, with a hundred louis pay, and a share in the profits! Is this not more than a poor sailor like me could have hoped for?"
"Yes, my dear boy," replied the old man, "it is very fortunate."
"Well, then, with the first money I touch, I mean you to have a small house, with a garden in which to plant clematis, nasturtiums, and honeysuckle. But what ails you, father? Are you not well?"
"'Tis nothing, nothing; it will soon pass away"—and as he said so the old man's strength failed him, and he fell backwards.
"Come, come," said the young man, "a glass of wine, father, will revive you. Where do you keep your wine?"
"No, no; thanks. You need not look for it; I do not want it," said the old man.
"Yes, yes, father, tell me where it is," and he opened two or three cupboards.
"It is no use," said the old man, "there is no wine."
"What, no wine?" said Dantes, turning pale, and looking alternately at the hollow cheeks of the old man and the empty cupboards. "What, no wine? Have you wanted money, father?"
"I want nothing now that I have you," said the old man.
"Yet," stammered Dantes, wiping the perspiration from his brow,—"yet I gave you two hundred francs when I left, three months ago."
"Yes, yes, Edmond, that is true, but you forgot at that time a little debt to our neighbor, Caderousse. He reminded me of it, telling me if I did not pay for you, he would be paid by M. Morrel; and so, you see, lest he might do you an injury"—
"Well?"
"Why, I paid him."
"But," cried Dantes, "it was a hundred and forty francs I owed Caderousse."
"Yes," stammered the old man.
"And you paid him out of the two hundred francs I left you?"
The old man nodded.
"So that you have lived for three months on sixty francs," muttered Edmond.
"You know how little I require," said the old man.
"Heaven pardon me," cried Edmond, falling on his knees before his father.
"What are you doing?"
"You have wounded me to the heart."
"Never mind it, for I see you once more," said the old man; "and now it's all over—everything is all right again."
If Dantes’ father refused to repay Caderousse (the next door neighbor), what was Caderousse going to do?
Tell M. Morrel and request repayment from him
Tell the gendarmes and request repayment from them
Hire thugs to beat up Dantes upon his arrival
Inform the president, and seek an arrest warrant
Explanation
“Tell M. Morrel and request repayment from him” is the correct answer. This is a relatively simple question that asks you to piece together a conclusion from the context clues of the sentence. Here, Dantes’ father explains that Cadarousse (the neighbor) requested repayment from him (Dantes’ father) and that Cadarousse “would be paid buy M. Morrel” if Dantes’ father did not pay first.
Passage adapted from Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo (1844)
"God forgive me," said the young man, "for rejoicing at happiness derived from the misery of others, but, Heaven knows, I did not seek this good fortune; it has happened, and I really cannot pretend to lament it. The good Captain Leclere is dead, father, and it is probable that, with the aid of M. Morrel, I shall have his place. Do you understand, father? Only imagine me a captain at twenty, with a hundred louis pay, and a share in the profits! Is this not more than a poor sailor like me could have hoped for?"
"Yes, my dear boy," replied the old man, "it is very fortunate."
"Well, then, with the first money I touch, I mean you to have a small house, with a garden in which to plant clematis, nasturtiums, and honeysuckle. But what ails you, father? Are you not well?"
"'Tis nothing, nothing; it will soon pass away"—and as he said so the old man's strength failed him, and he fell backwards.
"Come, come," said the young man, "a glass of wine, father, will revive you. Where do you keep your wine?"
"No, no; thanks. You need not look for it; I do not want it," said the old man.
"Yes, yes, father, tell me where it is," and he opened two or three cupboards.
"It is no use," said the old man, "there is no wine."
"What, no wine?" said Dantes, turning pale, and looking alternately at the hollow cheeks of the old man and the empty cupboards. "What, no wine? Have you wanted money, father?"
"I want nothing now that I have you," said the old man.
"Yet," stammered Dantes, wiping the perspiration from his brow,—"yet I gave you two hundred francs when I left, three months ago."
"Yes, yes, Edmond, that is true, but you forgot at that time a little debt to our neighbor, Caderousse. He reminded me of it, telling me if I did not pay for you, he would be paid by M. Morrel; and so, you see, lest he might do you an injury"—
"Well?"
"Why, I paid him."
"But," cried Dantes, "it was a hundred and forty francs I owed Caderousse."
"Yes," stammered the old man.
"And you paid him out of the two hundred francs I left you?"
The old man nodded.
"So that you have lived for three months on sixty francs," muttered Edmond.
"You know how little I require," said the old man.
"Heaven pardon me," cried Edmond, falling on his knees before his father.
"What are you doing?"
"You have wounded me to the heart."
"Never mind it, for I see you once more," said the old man; "and now it's all over—everything is all right again."
What does Dantes mean by the underlined phrase?
Dantes is going to buy his dad a small house with the money that he makes as a captain
Dantes is telling his father to buy his own house
Dantes is alluding to the fact that M. Morell will buy Dantes a house
M. Morell is asking Dantes to buy him a house
Explanation
“Dantes is going to buy his dad a small house with the money that he makes as a captain” is the correct answer. This is a very simple question that asks you to draw an inference from the language of the passage. Dantes says that he “means” for his father to have a small house “with the first money \[he\] touch\[es\].” “Dantes is going to buy his dad a small house” makes the most sense out of all of the answers provided.
Passage adapted from Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo (1844)
1 That punctual servant of all work, the sun, had just risen, and begun to strike a light on the morning of the thirteenth of May, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, when Mr. Samuel Pickwick burst like another sun from his slumbers, threw open his chamber window, and looked out upon the world beneath. 2 Goswell Street was at his feet, Goswell Street was on his right hand—as far as the eye could reach, Goswell Street extended on his left; and the opposite side of Goswell Street was over the way. 3 'Such,' thought Mr. Pickwick, 'are the narrow views of those philosophers who, content with examining the things that lie before them, look not to the truths which are hidden beyond. 4 As well might I be content to gaze on Goswell Street for ever, without one effort to penetrate to the hidden countries which on every side surround it.' 5 And having given vent to this beautiful reflection, Mr. Pickwick proceeded to put himself into his clothes, and his clothes into his portmanteau. 6 Great men are seldom over scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire; the operation of shaving, dressing, and coffee-imbibing was soon performed; and, in another hour, Mr. Pickwick, with his portmanteau in his hand, his telescope in his greatcoat pocket, and his note-book in his waistcoat, ready for the reception of any discoveries worthy of being noted down, had arrived at the coach-stand in St. Martin's-le-Grand.
7 'Cab!' said Mr. Pickwick.
8 'Here you are, sir,' shouted a strange specimen of the human race, in a sackcloth coat, and apron of the same, who, with a brass label and number round his neck, looked as if he were catalogued in some collection of rarities. 9 This was the waterman.
What literary device can be seen in Sentence 1?
Anthropomorphism
Allegory
Cliché
Epiphany
Metonymy
Explanation
Anthropomorphism is another word for personification: the attribution of human characteristics to non-human or inanimate things. We see this in Sentence 1 when the sun is described as “punctual servant of all work.” Allegory is the use of a story or extended metaphor to make a philosophical or moral point, and cliché is a phrase that’s become trite or worn out from overuse. Epiphany is a sudden realization, often experienced by a character at the end of a short story, that changes someone’s life. Metonymy is the substitution of one word for another word that’s commonly associated with it (e.g. using “throne” to discuss a monarchy).
Passage adapted from Charles Dickens’ The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1837)
1 About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the county of Northampton, and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet's lady, with all the comforts and consequences of an handsome house and large income. 2 All Huntingdon exclaimed on the greatness of the match, and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, allowed her to be at least three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim to it. 3 She had two sisters to be benefited by her elevation; and such of their acquaintance as thought Miss Ward and Miss Frances quite as handsome as Miss Maria, did not scruple to predict their marrying with almost equal advantage. 4 But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them. 5 Miss Ward, at the end of half a dozen years, found herself obliged to be attached to the Rev. Mr. Norris, a friend of her brother-in-law, with scarcely any private fortune, and Miss Frances fared yet worse. 6 Miss Ward's match, indeed, when it came to the point, was not contemptible: Sir Thomas being happily able to give his friend an income in the living of Mansfield; and Mr. and Mrs. Norris began their career of conjugal felicity with very little less than a thousand a year. 7 But Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disoblige her family, and by fixing on a lieutenant of marines, without education, fortune, or connexions, did it very thoroughly. 8 She could hardly have made a more untoward choice.
Based on the context of the passage, what does “with only seven thousand pounds” (Sentence 1) mean?
Maria Ward’s dowry was not substantial
Maria Ward paid Sir Thomas Bertram to pretend to be her relative
Maria Ward joined Sir Thomas Bertram’s household as a maid
The property value in Huntingdon was very low
It cost at least eight thousand pounds to become a baronet’s lady
Explanation
This is a passage by a British author, and so recognizing that “pounds” is a unit of currency is key. However, the entire passage concerns the financial constraints and rules governing marriage. Therefore, even if you weren’t familiar with the 19th-century dowry system, you could make an educated guess that “with only seven thousand pounds” describes the bride’s financial qualifications for marriage: that is, her dowry.
Passage adapted from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park (1814)
1 I have just returned from a visit to my landlord—the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. 2 This is certainly a beautiful country! 3 In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. 4 A perfect misanthropist’s heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. 5 A capital fellow! 6 He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name.
… 7 \[he\] sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court,—‘Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood’s horse; and bring up some wine.’
… 8 Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy. 9 ‘The Lord help us!’ he soliloquised in an undertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse: looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner.
In Sentence 7, what is a “causeway”?
Elevated path
Stairwell
Main house
Servant’s quarters
Stables
Explanation
The definition of a causeway is a road, path, or highway traveling on top of a bank of earth. Without knowing this definition, thought, it would be possible to narrow down your choices based on the context that the word appears in. Joseph “preceded \[the speaker\] up the causeway,” so the word must be something that can be traveled upon.
Passage adapted from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, 1847.