Can anyone help me with the reading section of 74C number 2 and 3?
The passage says as follows: Left for a construction job in Palm Beach. Says my eyes are as blue as the Atlantic Ocean, and he can’t bear to look AT THE THING, but one more time if I’m not there with him
The question says as follows: What does AT THE THING indicate? The answer is Atlantic Ocean.
I don’t understand why the answer is the Atlantic Ocean.
I think the answer is the eyes because Atlantic Oceans are only used for describring the ‘blue’ eyes.
He isn’t referring to the eyes.
The guy comparing the girl’s eyes to the ocean misses her. Because the ocean reminds him of her eyes, he can’t look at it because he’ll be reminded of his pain and longing. The only way he’d be willing to look at it again was if the girl was there with him, because then he wouldn’t be in pain from missing her.
It wouldn’t make sense if it was the eyes because then the passage would basically be saying he isn’t willing to look at her eyes, which doesn’t make sense if he misses her.
The use of the word “thing” was done purposefully too. It’s said with an attitude. It’s the same as saying he can’t look at the “wretched ocean”. It wouldn’t make sense if he was talking about her eyes here.
- As they are used in line 24, what do the words the thing refer to?
F. A construction job
G. The blond woman’s eyes
H. The Atlantic Ocean
J· A bus
H.
Lines 22 – 25:
“Says my eyes are as blue as the Atlantic Ocean, and he can’t bear to look at the thing but one more time if I’m not there with him.”
The phrase “the thing” has to refer to a singular noun that has been said in previous sentences. Therefore, it can’t be “eyes”; choice G is wrong. Of the other choices (“A construction job”, “the Atlantic Ocean”, and “A bus”), only the Atlantic Ocean is something that people would commonly ‘see’ with romantic partners.
- As it is used in line 35, the phrase “every occasional home” most nearly suggests that on the bus trip, the main characters of Passage A are passing through an area in which:
A. the porches of some homes intermittently glow from the light of fireflies.
B. most homes do not have a porch light on.
C. particularly large and bright fireflies swarm around a few of the homes.
D. the few homes built there are situated far apart.
D.
Lines 34 – 35:
“Firefly porch lights are perched, fat and throbbing, outside every occasional home you pass.”
The word ‘occasional’ suggests that the bus passes by each home infrequently, meaning that homes are situated far apart.
The complete answer explanations for the reading section of Form 74C can be read here:
http://acthelper.com/act-form-74c-reading-answer-explanations/