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…”, first find the exact sentence that answers the question rather than scanning all the choices. Paraphrase that sentence in your own words, then compare your paraphrase to each option, eliminating choices that are not explicitly stated or that add new ideas not found in the passage. Trust the wording of the text over what seems logical or likely in real life.
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
Look for the part of the passage that directly answers the question, which 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.” This line clearly states her resolution.
Paraphrase the key sentence
Put that key sentence into your own words. The narrator is saying that after the storm, she promises herself she will learn “the old skills,” and she gives a specific example: learning to build a fire without matches. These are traditional, practical skills for getting by without modern technology.
Match the paraphrase to the best answer choice
Now compare your paraphrase to each option:
- Moving to a warmer climate is never mentioned.
- Buying a generator is never mentioned.
- Knitting more blankets is never mentioned.
- Only the option about learning basic survival skills, starting with building a fire, restates the narrator’s promise about learning old skills and building a fire. So the correct answer is: She resolves to learn basic survival skills, starting with building a fire.