SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
The following text is from an 1893 novel by Edwin Carrow. Mrs. Lyle is helping her son pack for his move to the city.
"You will write, of course," said Mrs. Lyle, folding his shirts with great care, as though the creases mattered more than anything she might say. "And you will eat properly, and not sit about in damp clothes." She did not ask him to stay; she had decided long ago that she would not. But when the last shirt was packed, she smoothed it once more, and then again, and seemed in no hurry to close the lid.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Although Mrs. Lyle tries to keep her feelings hidden, the way she lingers over small tasks reveals her reluctance to see her son go.
Mrs. Lyle openly pleads with her son to stay at home.
Mrs. Lyle is relieved that her son is finally leaving.
Mrs. Lyle cares more about the neatness of her son's clothing than about his departure.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Mrs. Lyle has decided not to ask her son to stay, so she offers practical advice and focuses on folding. Yet she keeps smoothing the last shirt and delays closing the lid, which shows she does not want him to go. Choice A captures this hidden reluctance.
Choice D reads the folding too literally: "as though the creases mattered more" signals that she only appears focused on the shirts, and her lingering shows her real concern is his leaving.
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. The text explicitly states that Mrs. Lyle did not ask him to stay and had decided long ago not to, so she never pleads with him.
- C. Her actions, such as smoothing the shirt repeatedly and seeming in no hurry to close the lid, indicate reluctance rather than relief about his departure.
- D. The phrase "as though the creases mattered more" signals that her focus on the shirts is a facade, not her true priority, which is her son leaving.
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