not literally bump into one another. The author has made no reference to his childhood in this
passage, so eliminate (A). While national boundaries are mentioned in this paragraph, they are
just another analogy by which the author is describing his experience; therefore, (C) is
incorrect. The reason that the author moves his chair is due to the conversation, not the analogy
by which the author is trying to bring clarity to his ideas; thus, (D) is incorrect. Choice (B) most
closely matches the prediction from the text, so it is correct.
7. A The author notes that the ideas need to bounce around and settle, or they will plow and push
their way out of the listener’s head. Choice (A) is the correct answer because it matches the
prediction from the text; the other answer choices do not.
8. D The author states that when more than a few guests are present, they treat eating as a forsaken
habit and practice abstinence. Choice (A) is incorrect because the author shares his food only
when there is enough to feed each guest adequately. Choice (B) is incorrect because there is no
mention of the author ever turning away a guest, and (C) is incorrect because there is no
mention of the author purchasing food in this passage. Choice (D) best matches the prediction
from the text and is therefore the correct answer.
9. B The passage mentions that the author was unable to feed large groups of visitors to his home,
and that in such cases all guests, including the author, refrained from eating. He mentions the
ease by which he has established a new custom. He also states that housekeepers may doubt the
ease by which the social convention was changed. This prediction most closely matches (B), so
it is the correct answer. Choice (A) is incorrect because the author makes no such statement
about housekeepers. Choice (C) is incorrect because the author does not state that the
housekeepers have a certain way in which to serve guests, only that they would doubt
establishing new and better customs in place of the old. Choice (D) is incorrect because
although the author is preparing pudding and bread for a guest, there is no mention of what the
housekeepers would think of the meal.
- A The author mentions that because his house was located far from the town, he had fewer visitors
coming to discuss trivial matters; therefore, (D) is incorrect. The sentence that discusses
sediment is figurative, so any literal reference to dirt or dust can be eliminated: get rid of (B)
and (C). Choice (A) best matches the information in the last paragraph of the passage, in which
the author addresses the number of visitors he has received and how fewer guests came to see
him about trivial business. Therefore, (A) is the correct answer.
11. D Remember, with specific paired questions, as long as you use the text to support your answer
for the first question, you have an actual two-for-one deal. You used the reference But fewer
came to see me on trivial business, to answer question 10, so you know the answer to this
question is (D)! Done.
