Question 147·Hard·Central Ideas and Details
My friends on the mainland liked to romanticize our isolation on the lighthouse island. They spoke of “unblemished horizons” and “poetic solitude,” as though silence were always merciful and the sea forever placid. I rarely bothered to correct them; a single shift of black water against the breakwall would have done the explaining for me. The lamp demanded hourly tending, the foghorn begged for fuel, and the salt wind drove iron to rust with a malice that never slept. Still, their envy persisted. Only when a gale pinned their ferry in the harbor for three days did they glimpse our ordinary: the sting of brine in every breath, the tremor of glass in the lantern room, the elastic stretch of night that work alone could keep from unraveling us. After that, some stopped calling the island a retreat. Others simply fell silent, as though words, too, had been blown offshore.
Which choice best describes the misunderstanding the mainland visitors have about life on the island?
For misunderstanding questions, identify (1) the mistaken perspective using the passage’s evaluative language (e.g., “romanticize”), then (2) the concrete details that correct it (work, conditions, consequences). Summarize the contrast in one sentence, and pick the choice that matches that summary without shifting to a different issue the passage doesn’t emphasize.
Hints
Find the friends’ point of view
Reread the first two sentences. How do the mainland friends talk about the island and its isolation? Focus on the descriptive phrases they use and the tone of those phrases.
Find the narrator’s point of view
Look at the sentences describing the lamp, the foghorn, and the salt wind. Do these details make island life sound restful or demanding?
State the contrast in one sentence
In your own words, summarize the gap between what the friends imagine and what the narrator describes. Then choose the option that matches your summary without adding a new topic.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the visitors’ mistaken view
The narrator states that the mainland friends “romanticize our isolation on the lighthouse island.” The next lines show what that romanticizing sounds like in their words.
Identify how the friends characterize island life
They talk about “unblemished horizons” and “poetic solitude,” implying that silence is always kind and the sea is always calm. This frames the island as a serene retreat rather than a demanding place to live and work.
Contrast with the narrator’s reality
The narrator immediately undercuts that image with concrete burdens:
- The lamp needs “hourly tending.”
- The foghorn needs fuel.
- Salt wind corrodes metal relentlessly.
- During the gale, even breathing, sleeping, and keeping things together requires effort (“work alone could keep [night] from unraveling us”).
These details show persistent labor and harsh conditions, not effortless peace.
Match the contrast to the best answer choice
Evaluate each option against the passage’s central contrast (romantic image vs demanding reality):
- Choice A overemphasizes leisure, but the passage stresses constant tending and upkeep.
- Choice C blames hardship mainly on rare storms, but the narrator emphasizes ongoing routine burdens even outside the gale.
- Choice D shifts the focus to loneliness as the main hardship; the passage focuses more on physical conditions and nonstop work.
The best match is Choice B: They overly idealize solitary life while ignoring its daily burdens.