The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd has gathered outside a room belonging to the Warden, an official who reports to the Lord Chancellor.
One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out) “Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” Everybody roared, but whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear: some were shouting “Bread!” and some “Taxes!”, but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted.
All this I saw from the open window of the Warden’s breakfast-saloon, looking across the shoulder of the Lord Chancellor.
“What can it all mean?” he kept repeating to himself. “I never heard such shouting before—and at this time of the morning, too! And with such unanimity!”
Based on the text, how does the Lord Chancellor respond to the crowd?
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Choice D is the best answer because it presents a statement about how the Lord Chancellor responds to the crowd that is supported by the text. The text indicates that the people in the crowd are roaring and shouting “Bread!” or “Taxes!” and presents them as not knowing what they really want. The Lord Chancellor’s response is to ask what their shouting means but also to observe that they’re shouting with “unanimity,” or total agreement. Clearly, this isn’t the case, which supports the statement that the Lord Chancellor describes the crowd as being united even though it’s not.
Choice A is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text. Although the text indicates that the Lord Chancellor asks about the meaning of the crowd’s shouting, it doesn’t suggest that he knows what the crowd really wants. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the Lord Chancellor wants to speak to the crowd. Furthermore, the text doesn’t indicate that the crowd wants to hear from the Sub-Warden. Although the crowd roars when asked “Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” it’s unclear what the roaring means. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the Lord Chancellor knows of or sympathizes with the crowd’s demands. In addition, the text doesn’t indicate that the crowd’s shouting annoys the Lord Chancellor, just that it causes him to keep repeating “What can it all mean?”
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