SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
The following text is from a 1923 novel by Grace Holloway. Tom, a young farmhand, has just received his first wages.
Tom held the three silver dollars in his palm and turned them over, one by one, as though each side might show him something new. He had worked for them through the long August heat, hauling hay until his shoulders burned. Now, standing at the edge of the field, he did not think of what they could buy. He thought only that they were his, earned by his own two hands, and that no one could say otherwise.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Tom is disappointed that he was paid less than he expected.
Tom plans to spend his wages on new farm equipment.
Tom is proud that he earned the money through his own hard work.
Tom worries that someone will try to take his money from him.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The passage stresses the hard work behind the coins (hauling hay in the heat) and Tom's feeling that they were "his, earned by his own two hands." He is not thinking about spending them. The main idea is his pride in money he earned himself, choice C.
Choice D misreads "no one could say otherwise," which expresses Tom's confidence that the money is rightfully his, not a fear of theft.
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