SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
The following text is from a 1903 novel by Mary Ellen Dacre. Jonah, a carpenter, has been asked to examine the town's old meeting hall.
The other carpenters had looked at the hall and recommended tearing it down. Jonah walked through it slowly, pressing his palm against the beams, tapping the floorboards with his heel, kneeling to sniff the wood near the foundation. When he stood, he told the town council that the hall was sound at its heart. The rot, he said, was all at the edges, and edges could be mended.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
After a careful inspection, Jonah concludes that the hall is worth saving, despite the other carpenters' advice.
Jonah agrees with the other carpenters that the hall should be torn down.
Jonah is unable to determine what condition the hall is in.
Jonah wants to use the hall's old wood to build a new hall.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The other carpenters want to tear the hall down, but Jonah inspects it closely and reports that it is "sound at its heart," with rot only at the edges that can be repaired. Choice A states his conclusion and how it differs from the others' advice.
Choice B is the other carpenters' view, which Jonah's findings contradict.
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