Take this Quiz: ACT Reading — prose fiction, and what the narration will not tell you | Zestly

Question 1

"Arthur stood by the window, watching the rain blur the edges of the garden. He had promised to meet Clara at the train station by four o'clock, but the clock on the mantle now read four-fifteen. He gripped the curtain fabric, his knuckles turning white. He knew she would be waiting under the rusted awning, checking her watch every minute. He sighed and turned toward the hallway, grabbing his coat from the hook." According to the narration, what does Arthur picture Clara doing?

Accepted Answer

Checking her watch under the rusted awning.

Answer

Watching the rain blur the edges of the garden.

Answer

Sheltering inside the station, out of the rain.

Answer

Boarding a train that leaves at four o'clock.

Question 2

"The old lighthouse keeper, Elias, spent his mornings polishing the brass lantern until it shone like a new coin. He moved with a slow, deliberate rhythm that suggested he had performed the task a thousand times before. Sometimes he would pause to look out at the horizon, his eyes narrowing against the glare of the sun. He never spoke to the seagulls that circled the tower, though he often hummed a low, tuneless melody. The silence of the island was his only constant companion." What does the narration imply about how long Elias has been doing this work?

Accepted Answer

He has done it for years, often enough for it to have become second nature.

Answer

He is about to give it up and leave the island.

Answer

He was assigned to the lighthouse only recently.

Answer

He has been there long enough to have grown careless about the lantern.

Question 3

"The old lighthouse keeper, Elias, spent his mornings polishing the brass lantern until it shone like a new coin. He moved with a slow, deliberate rhythm that suggested he had performed the task a thousand times before. Sometimes he would pause to look out at the horizon, his eyes narrowing against the glare of the sun. He never spoke to the seagulls that circled the tower, though he often hummed a low, tuneless melody. The silence of the island was his only constant companion." What does the narration imply about the company Elias keeps?

Accepted Answer

He passes his days with nobody to talk to.

Answer

He is looking for a way off the island and the people on it.

Answer

He talks to the seagulls to fill the quiet.

Answer

He has visitors often enough that the mornings are the only time he is alone.

Question 4

"Julian threw his pen across the desk, the ink splattering against the white wall like a dark wound. He stared at the blank page, his chest heaving with every breath. He had spent three hours trying to write a single paragraph, but the words felt like lead in his mouth. He stood up and paced the small room, his fingers digging into his hair. Finally, he sat back down and began to tear the paper into tiny, jagged pieces." What state of mind do Julian's actions convey?

Answer

Calm reflection on what he has written so far.

Answer

Boredom with a task he does not much care about.

Answer

Satisfaction at having finished a difficult piece.

Answer

Frustration that has built up over hours.

Question 5

"Julian threw his pen across the desk, the ink splattering against the white wall like a dark wound. He stared at the blank page, his chest heaving with every breath. He had spent three hours trying to write a single paragraph, but the words felt like lead in his mouth. He stood up and paced the small room, his fingers digging into his hair. Finally, he sat back down and began to tear the paper into tiny, jagged pieces." Why does Julian tear up the paper at the end?

Answer

To clear the desk before starting a different piece of work.

Answer

Because the sheet was already ruined by the splattered ink.

Answer

Because three hours of work has produced nothing he is willing to keep.

Answer

To make the small room look tidier than it did.