SAT OwlThe following text is from a 1908 novel by Lionel Ashby. Clara has been asked by her employer to judge a young man applying to tutor the family's children.
Clara listened as Mr. Fenwick recited his qualifications: the Latin prizes, the letters from his professors, the summer spent in Rome. He spoke well and without a single pause. When he had finished, she asked what he thought of the children's drawings pinned to the wall behind her. He glanced at them, called them very charming, and returned at once to his Latin prizes. Clara made a small note in her book, suspecting that Mr. Fenwick ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
would be more attentive to his own accomplishments than to his pupils.
lacked the scholarly training that the position required.
disliked children and would treat them harshly.
was nervous and had rehearsed his speech to hide that fact.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Clara's question about the drawings tests his interest in the children. He gives them a glance and a stock compliment, then goes straight back to his prizes. That suggests he cares more about his own achievements than about his future pupils, choice A.
Choice C goes beyond the evidence; his brief, polite response shows a lack of interest, not dislike or a likelihood of harsh treatment.
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