Text Evidence & Inference
(Reading)
(Reading)
What can the reader infer about life outside the piazza based on the fact that people travel fifteen kilometres just to argue there?
A. The big city does not allow public gatherings.
B. People find the piazza more exciting or expressive than their daily lives.
C. There is no food or drink available in the big city.
D. City residents avoid conflict entirely.
B. People find the piazza more exciting or expressive than their daily lives.
“On most of these days there are more people in the piazza than live in the locality. It’s as if people came here… to get into fights. They drive fifteen kilometres from the big city to express their bad moods.” (paragraph 2)
Each afternoon, the old man _______ slowly into the piazza at around four o’clock.
A. walk
B. walked
C. walks
D. walking
C. walks
What does the author’s repeated use of the word “shuffling” to describe the old man’s walk emphasize?
A. His anger at the crowds.
B. His impatience to get to the café.
C. His age and slow, deliberate movement.
D. His desire to avoid being noticed.
C. His age and slow, deliberate movement.
“He walks slowly, shuffling his feet, which are encased in dusty brown loafers.” (paragraph 1)
People travel fifteen kilometres from the big city to argue in the piazza, _______ they seem to enjoy the quarrel itself.
A. however
B. because
C. nevertheless
D. meanwhile
B. because
Which detail shows that the old man treats the piazza as the center of his life?
A. Everything significant in his life happens in the piazza.
B. He wears a dark-blue jacket every day.
C. He orders the same sandwich every night.
D. He shuffles away at 8 p.m. each evening
A. Everything significant in his life happens in the piazza.
“We do not need to know where he lives. Everything of any significance in his life has happened and will happen right here, in this little piazza.” (Paragraph 1)
What inference can be made when the narrator says, “We do not need to know where he lives”?
A. His home is too far away to describe.
B. His personal life is irrelevant; the piazza reveals what matters most.
C. He is hiding something from others.
D. He does not actually have a home.
B. His personal life is irrelevant; the piazza reveals what matters most.
“At 8 p.m., he rises, wipes his lips, and shuffles away, presumably to his home. We do not need to know where he lives. Everything of any significance in his life has happened and will happen right here, in this little piazza.” (paragraph 1)
The old man always _______ a beer at 6 p.m. and a sandwich for dinner.
A. ordering
B. orders
C. ordered
D. has order
B. orders
What is the effect of using the verb “debouch” to describe the roads leading into the piazza?
A. It emphasizes the sudden, overflowing movement of people into the square.
B. It indicates that the roads are dangerous.
C. It suggests the town is poorly designed.
D. It suggests the roads are extremely narrow and unused.
A. It emphasizes the sudden, overflowing movement of people into the square.
“It is a piazza into which seven narrow roads debouch, one at each corner…” (paragraph 2)
The crowds argue about everything from hurricanes to ice-cream flavors; _______ the noise only increases as the day turns to evening.
A. moreover
B. in contrast
C. for example
D. on the other hand
A. moreover
What theme is suggested by the crowds who come from miles away to argue?
A. Travel is necessary for good conversation.
B. Human beings naturally avoid conflict.
C. People are united by their love of disagreement.
D. Arguments only occur in large cities.
C. People are united by their love of disagreement.
“It appears there is nothing that unites our people except their love of the quarrel itself, the quarrel understood as a public art form, as the defining heart of our culture.” (Paragraph 4)
What textual evidence best supports the idea that the “time of the yes” harmed intellectual freedom?
A. People stopped shopping at local bakeries.
B. Only certain people were allowed in the piazza.
C. Language became “pedestrian” and refused to “fly or soar.”
D. The church prevented people from traveling at night.
C. Language became “pedestrian” and refused to “fly or soar.”
“She became pedestrian. She informed us that she was unwilling for the moment to fly or to soar… She said that she felt leaden-footed… (paragraph 7)
During the “time of the yes,” disagreement _______ illegal for nearly half a decade.
A. being
B. is
C. has been
D. was
D. was
Why does Rushdie personify language as a woman who “sulked” and wore “uncomfortable shoes”?
A. To imply that language caused the town’s arguments.
B. To demonstrate that language could physically transform.
C. To illustrate how suppressed and limited language became during the “time of the yes.”
D. To show that people no longer cared about clothing trends.
C. To illustrate how suppressed and limited language became during the “time of the yes.”
“Our language, however, sulked. She came to sit by herself in a corner… She became pedestrian… She wore tight clothing that constrained her movements, and uncomfortable shoes.” (paragraph 7)
The arguments in the piazza grow louder as evening approaches; _______ the old man continues his quiet routine without reacting.
A. meanwhile
B. instead
C. likewise
D. consequently
A. meanwhile
What does the old man’s rigid daily routine suggest about him?
A. He is lonely and seeking attention.
B. He relies on structure and familiarity.
C. He dislikes the piazza but feels obligated to go.
D. He enjoys unpredictability.
B. He relies on structure and familiarity.
“At 6 p.m., he orders a beer and a sandwich. At 8 p.m., he rises, wipes his lips, and shuffles away, presumably to his home. We do not need to know where he lives. Everything of any significance in his life has happened and will happen right here, in this little piazza.” (Paragraph 1)
When language chooses to “sit quietly and contemplate,” what larger message is suggested?
A. People speak too quickly to think clearly.
B. Creativity suffers when expression is restricted.
C. Language prefers solitude to conversation.
D. Disagreement is dangerous and should be avoided.
B. Creativity suffers when expression is restricted.
“She informed us that she was unwilling for the moment to fly or to soar… She said that she felt leaden-footed and preferred to sit quietly and contemplate…” (paragraph 7)
Motorcyclists _______ their horns in frustration when arguments intensify.
A. sound
B. sounded
C. sounding
D. sound
D. sound
What literary technique is used when the author lists exaggerated argument topics, such as hurricanes, ice-cream flavors, and actress beauty?
A. Irony
B. Foreshadowing
C. Hyperbole
D. Allusion
C. Hyperbole
“quarrel … over matters as important as the likelihood of hurricanes … as trivial as the flavours of ice‑cream and the beauty of the film actresses.” (paragraph 3)
The streets should form a peaceful square; _______ they channel constant streams of arguing people into the piazza.
A. instead
B. afterward
C. similarly
D. certainly
A. instead
What central cultural conflict is revealed by the “time of the yes”?
A. Citizens disagreed about the value of religion.
B. Expression and disagreement were strictly controlled.
C. Technology changed how people communicated.
D. People struggled with economic instability.
B. Expression and disagreement were strictly controlled.
“That dark age began forty years or so ago, a time when for a period of half a decade it was made illegal to argue. We were all obliged to agree, at all times. Whatever proposition was made, no matter how risible … it was forbidden to debunk it … It was necessary at all times to assent.” (Paragraph 5)
What does the old man’s silent observation of nightly arguments imply about his role?
A. He is secretly judging the townspeople.
B. He is waiting for someone to invite him to join.
C. He serves as a calm witness to a noisy, divided culture.
D. He is planning to intervene and stop the disputes.
C. He serves as a calm witness to a noisy, divided culture.
“He takes his seat. He is the audience, an audience of one. The show is about to begin.” (paragraph 2)
During the ban on disagreement, the town’s language _______ “pedestrian” and refused to “fly or soar.”
A. has becoming
B. becoming
C. become
D. became
D. became
What is the effect of repeating physical gestures—raising voices, pounding fists, stamping feet—in describing the quarrels?
A. It highlights how disagreements are quickly resolved.
B. It creates a calm and peaceful tone.
C. It mirrors the escalating intensity of the arguments.
D. It shows how crowds imitate the old man.
C. It mirrors the escalating intensity of the arguments.
“raising voices, pounding fists, stamping feet” (paragraph 3)
People argue about politics, weather, love, and ice-cream flavors; _______ they almost never resolve their disagreements.
A. in fact
B. overall
C. on the other hand
D. consequently
A. in fact
What contrast between the old man and the crowds helps develop the theme?
A. He is silent and observant, while they are loud and argumentative.
B. He prefers sweets, while the crowds prefer coffee.
C. He dresses formally, while they wear casual clothing.
D. He dislikes the fountain, while they gather near it.
A. He is silent and observant, while they are loud and argumentative.
“He takes his seat. He is the audience, an audience of one. The show is about to begin.” (Paragraph 2)
“All around the piazza you can hear the loud sounds of people quarrelling, six days a week. On most of these days there are more people in the piazza than live in the locality.” (Paragraph 3)