SAT Reading Question Practice Test #6?

Question

> Harouni of course became familiar with thisubiquitous man, who not only accompanied him onhis tours of inspection, but morning and night couldbe found standing on the master bed rewiring thelight fixture or in the bathroom poking at the waterheater. Finally, one evening at teatime, gauging thepsychological moment, Nawab asked if he might saya word. The landowner, who was cheerfully filing hisnails in front of a crackling rosewood fire, told himto go ahead.> “Sir, as you know, your lands stretch from here tothe Indus, and on these lands are fully seventeen tubewells, and to tend these seventeen tube wells there isbut one man, me, your servant. In your service I haveearned these gray hairs”—here he bowed his head toshow the gray—“and now I cannot fulfill my dutiesas I should. Enough, sir, enough. I beg you, forgiveme my weakness. Better a darkened house and proudhunger within than disgrace in the light of day.Release me, I ask you, I beg you.”> The old man, well accustomed to these sorts ofspeeches, though not usually this florid, filed away athis nails and waited for the breeze to stop.“What’s the matter, Nawabdin?”This excerpt from the SAT practice test is questioned. It asks for the purpose of the second paragraph. The choices are as follows: A) flatter Harouni by mentioning how vast his lands are. B) boast to Harouni about how competent and reliable Nawab is. C) emphasize Nawab’s diligence and loyalty to Harouni. D) notify Harouni that Nawab intends to quit his job tending the tube wells.The answer is C. But, why is it not D. Can anyone please explain? Thank you for your help

Answer 1

In this paragraph, Nawab's desire to quit working is only a secondary purpose. The author has saved us time and reading by putting all the information into the dialogue. He/she could have given us a separate whole paragraph about the work Nawab has done, and then allowed the dialogue to refer back to it. Instead, the writer has chosen to give us the information as part of the dialogue. We wouldn't know all the things he has done without him stating it in the dialogue. Furthermore, check out the topic sentence of the paragraph. If the goal had simply been to give the servant's termination, it would have started with this thought. Instead, it starts with enumerating all of his duties.

So, the purpose of the paragraph is primarily to inform us what a hard-worker he was. The secondary purpose--to give notice to quit his job--is only secondary because it is only covered in the final sentence. This sentence is functioning as much as an introduction to the employer's response as it is a conclusion to the employee's statement.

Answer 2

Your question is a good one. The reason C is the correct answer is the overall intent of the paragraph is to show his loyalty to his master. This serves as a reminder to the master that the servant has faithfully performed his duties over the course of his servitude. The servant's intent then is to ease into the request for dismissal once this reminder has been given to the master. Remember, had the servant come right out and requested release, D would be the correct answer. But the overall gist of the paragraph is to justify his loyalty.

I know that may sound confusing, and it is. Keep at it, you'll do fine.

Answer 3

Actually, I can't tell where the second paragraph begins. So, I am considering the wording beginning with "Enough, sir, enough. I beg you, forgive my weakness. Better a darkened house and proud hunger within than disgrace in the light of day. Release me, I ask you, I beg you...The old man..."What's the matter, Nawabdin?" If we are considering the gist of these quoted words, then C is the best answer because the second paragraph includes Nawab's motivation for asking Harouni to release him from service completely so he can spend his waning years without working himself to death too soon. Nawab shows total diligence and loyalty to his master. Quitting his job, therefore, will involve more than tending the tube wells. It seems like Harouni has gotten into the habit of ignoring his helper's human needs. Here, Nawab is fanning him while Harouni files on his nails...Nawab must be spending night and day serving the needs of his master. And, yes, Nawab does wish to quite his tube-wells job. However, Nawab's true motivation is to ask his master to release him from his servitude agreement in an honorable manner. Does this make more sense now?