Question 112·Easy·Central Ideas and Details
The following text is from Ella Santos’s 2021 memoir Under Open Skies. The narrator describes the aftermath of a severe winter storm.
When the power went out, we wrapped ourselves in every blanket we owned and listened to the wind rattle the windows. In that darkness, I understood just how much we relied on switches and screens. By dawn, as pale light seeped through the frosted glass, I made myself a promise: I would learn the old skills—first and foremost, how to build a fire without a single match.
According to the text, what does the narrator resolve to do after the storm?
For questions that ask “According to the text…” or “What does the narrator resolve/decide…”, find the exact sentence that states the decision. Paraphrase it, then pick the choice that matches your paraphrase without adding actions or ideas that aren’t explicitly in the passage.
Hints
Locate the key sentence
Focus on the part of the passage where the narrator says, “I made myself a promise.” That sentence directly answers what she resolves to do.
Paraphrase before looking at choices
Before looking at the answer options, explain in your own words what promise she makes in that sentence about “old skills.”
Check each option against the text
Ask yourself for each choice: Is this specific action clearly stated in the passage, or is it something that sounds reasonable but is not actually mentioned?
Step-by-step Explanation
Find where the promise is stated
The question asks what the narrator resolves (promises) to do. The key sentence is: “By dawn … I made myself a promise: I would learn the old skills—first and foremost, how to build a fire without a single match.”
Paraphrase the promise
In your own words, the narrator decides to learn traditional, practical skills for coping without modern technology, starting with making a fire without matches.
Select the choice that restates the promise
Choose the option that matches that promise without adding new ideas. The correct answer is: She resolves to learn traditional survival skills, beginning with making a fire without matches.