Question 52·Easy·Central Ideas and Details
The following text is adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1857 biography The Life of Charlotte Brontë. Charlotte has been away from home for several months.
The train stopped with a faint hiss, and Charlotte stepped down onto the lonely platform. A thin wind swept across the open moorland, carrying with it the sharp scent of heather and peat. Ahead, the familiar outline of the parsonage roof rose against a paling sky. How unchanged it looks, she thought, her breath catching at the sight. The dark hills, the crooked stone walls, even the stunted hawthorn near the gate seemed exactly as she had left them. She paused a moment, letting the quiet settle around her, then gathered her small bag and began the short walk home, her pace quickening with every step.
Which statement best captures Charlotte’s reaction to her surroundings when she arrives home?
For central-idea/detail questions about a character’s reaction, first underline the exact phrases that show thoughts and feelings (often direct thoughts, descriptive adjectives, or verbs like “paused,” “hesitated,” “smiled”). Summarize in your own words what the character notices or feels in that moment, then test each answer by asking, “Is this clearly shown, or is it a guess that adds new information?” Quickly eliminate options that introduce people, emotions, or conflicts not mentioned in the text, and make sure the emotional tone of the choice (worried, disappointed, calm, etc.) matches the tone of the passage.
Hints
Find the sentence with Charlotte’s thoughts
Look at the line that includes Charlotte’s direct thought in italics. What word does she focus on when she looks at the parsonage roof?
Pay attention to repeated ideas
After that thought, the narrator lists the hills, walls, and hawthorn tree. What is the passage saying about how these things look compared to before?
Match the tone, not just a word
Consider how Charlotte seems to feel: is she anxious, disappointed, uncertain, or something else? Eliminate any choices that don’t fit this mood.
Check for ideas not in the passage
Ask yourself: Does the passage ever mention her family, her wanting to keep traveling, or being upset by the landscape? If not, be cautious about picking an answer that adds those ideas.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate key description of her reaction
Focus on the sentences that show what Charlotte thinks and feels as she arrives: "How unchanged it looks," she thought... The dark hills, the crooked stone walls, even the stunted hawthorn near the gate seemed exactly as she had left them. These lines show her mental reaction to what she sees.
Identify the main idea of those lines
Ask: What is Charlotte noticing about her surroundings? The narrator lists several familiar features and emphasizes that they look the same as before. She pauses, lets the quiet settle, and then walks home with her pace quickening, which suggests a calm or even positive feeling, not fear or disappointment.
Compare each answer with the text details and tone
Check each option against the passage: there is no mention of her family not recognizing her, no negative or bleak emotional language, and no hesitation about going home. The only idea clearly supported is that she is struck by how familiar and unchanged everything appears.
Select the best-supported answer
The statement that best matches the detailed description ("How unchanged it looks," and that everything seems exactly as she left it) is: Charlotte is noticing how little her home surroundings have changed since she left.