16Hit1600
Craft and StructureHardFunction of a sentence in a literary passage

Craft and Structure practice question

The following text is from a short story. The letter from the bank lay unopened on the hall table for a week. Each morning Tomasz moved it slightly, as one might turn a sleeping animal to keep it comfortable, and each morning it stayed shut.

Which choice best describes the function of the comparison to a sleeping animal?

  1. A. It suggests that Tomasz treats the letter with a wary tenderness, avoiding what waking it might bring.Correct
  2. B. It shows that Tomasz keeps pets.
  3. C. It indicates that the letter contains good news.
  4. D. It implies that Tomasz has lost the letter.

Answer: A. It suggests that Tomasz treats the letter with a wary tenderness, avoiding what waking it might bring.

Turning it 'to keep it comfortable' but never opening it: careful avoidance.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It shows that Tomasz keeps pets.
The animal is a comparison, not a pet.
C. It indicates that the letter contains good news.
An unopened bank letter avoided for a week suggests dread, not good news.
D. It implies that Tomasz has lost the letter.
He moves it every morning; it is not lost.

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