SSAT Middle Level Reading Quiz
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INFERENCE
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PASSAGE
The small manufacturing town of Riverside had thrived for decades, its economy built around three major factories that produced automotive parts for nearby assembly plants. Generations of families had worked the same jobs, lived in the same neighborhoods, and shared the same expectations about their futures. Children grew up assuming they would follow their parents into steady factory work that provided middle-class incomes and reliable pensions.
Then, over the course of just eighteen months, all three factories announced closures. Global competition and changing technology had made their operations obsolete. The announcement sent shockwaves through the community, but the responses varied dramatically. Some residents immediately put their houses on the market and began searching for opportunities in larger cities. Others organized committees to attract new businesses, proposing tax incentives and infrastructure improvements.
Meanwhile, a third group seemed paralyzed by the changes. They continued their daily routines as if the factories might somehow reopen, speaking hopefully about rumors of potential buyers. Local counselor Janet Rodriguez observed: 'People process major life changes at different speeds. What looks like denial might actually be a necessary pause before someone can envision a completely different future.'
Based on the passage, what can most reasonably be inferred about the third group of residents described?
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