Question 82·Easy·Central Ideas and Details
Maria lightly tapped the piano keys, her eyes fixed on the challenging passage in the sheet music. After a deep breath, she closed the lid and gazed out the window at her friends laughing as they kicked a soccer ball across the bright green field. With a reluctant sigh, she opened the lid again, set the metronome, and began practicing the same few measures once more.
Which choice best describes Maria's motivation?
For motivation questions, first underline key verbs and emotion words (like “reluctant,” “eager,” “excited”) and notice what the character chooses to do when given an alternative. Then, before looking at the choices too hard, briefly restate in your own words why the character acts that way. Finally, eliminate any option that introduces new information not in the passage (such as unseen characters, rules, or goals) or that conflicts with the character’s actual actions, and select the one that best matches the evidence from the text.
Hints
Focus on Maria’s actions before and after looking out the window
Reread what Maria does right after she looks at her friends outside. Does she go join them, or does she do something else? That decision shows her motivation.
Pay attention to emotional clues
Think about what the phrase “with a reluctant sigh” suggests about how Maria feels. Does she seem eager to practice or drawn to something else?
Check for direct support in the text
Look for any words in the passage that mention neighbors, rules, or trying to get someone’s attention. If an idea doesn’t appear or isn’t clearly implied, be very cautious about choosing it.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks for Maria's motivation—the main reason behind her actions. So you need to focus on why she does what she does in the passage, not just what she does.
Pull out key clues from the passage
Notice the important details:
- The music passage is described as “challenging.”
- She “gazed out the window at her friends” playing soccer on a “bright green field.” This makes outside sound fun and appealing.
- She gives a “reluctant sigh” before going back to the piano.
- Then she opens the lid again, sets the metronome, and begins practicing the same few measures once more.
These details show both her feelings and her choice.
Infer her feelings and decision from those clues
Maria clearly wants to be outside with her friends (she watches them and sighs reluctantly), so she is not completely happy about staying at the piano. However, she still chooses to reopen the piano, use the metronome, and repeat the difficult measures. This shows she is pushing herself to keep working at something hard instead of joining the fun outside.
Match the evidence to the best answer choice
Now compare each choice to the passage:
- There is no mention of neighbors or trying to annoy anyone.
- She never tries to get her friends’ attention or bring them inside.
- No rule or warning about leaving the piano unattended is mentioned.
- Only one choice fits the idea that she would rather be with her friends but still chooses to keep practicing the hard passage.
Therefore, the best answer is: She is committed to mastering the difficult music even though she would rather be outside.