SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
The following text is from a 1910 novel by Agnes Whitcombe. Lucy is traveling by coach to the coast.
Lucy had heard about the sea all her life, from her uncle's stories and from the pictures in her schoolbooks. None of it had prepared her. When the coach reached the top of the hill and the water appeared, gray-green and moving and without any end, she forgot to speak. She only gripped the edge of the seat and stared, as though the sea might vanish if she looked away for even a moment.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Lucy is frightened that the coach will tip over at the top of the hill.
Lucy is overwhelmed by her first sight of the sea, which goes beyond anything she had imagined.
Lucy is disappointed that the sea looks different from the pictures in her schoolbooks.
Lucy regrets that she did not pay closer attention to her uncle's stories.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The text says the stories and pictures had not "prepared her," and that on seeing the sea she "forgot to speak" and stared as if it might disappear. These details show awe at something greater than she had imagined, choice B.
Choice A misreads her gripping the seat, which reflects her amazement at the view; nothing suggests danger from the coach.
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