16Hit1600
Information and IdeasHardMain idea about a habit kept for others

Information and Ideas practice question

Long after the mine closed, the colliery band kept practising on Thursday nights in the welfare hall. There were no more galas to play at, and half the members had never been underground. They played, the bandmaster said, because the town liked to hear them through the windows and would have known, in the silence, that something else had gone.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

  1. A. The band continues mainly so that the town does not have to hear another part of its past fall silent.Correct
  2. B. The band still plays at mining galas.
  3. C. All the band's members are former miners.
  4. D. The band was disbanded when the mine closed.

Answer: A. The band continues mainly so that the town does not have to hear another part of its past fall silent.

No galas, few miners, but playing so the silence would not mark another loss.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The band still plays at mining galas.
'No more galas.'
C. All the band's members are former miners.
Half had never been underground.
D. The band was disbanded when the mine closed.
It kept practising.

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