A quotation question tests whether a line shows what the claim says about its subject. Read the claim and put it in a few words, keeping what the person feels and what brings that feeling about. Then predict the kind of line that would show both. Put each quotation in plain words so you can check it against the whole claim. A line that describes the same place may still say nothing about its effect on the person.
Hints
- Hint 1
Put Dawes’s claim in a few words. What does she say the garden offers her?
- Hint 2
The claim names noise and haste, so check both things Dawes wants a break from. Put each quotation in plain words and ask whether it supports the whole claim.
Step-by-step
Match the quotation to the whole claim
Step 1Shorten the claim
Dawes says the garden offers a soothing escape from the surrounding city’s noise and haste, so the quotation needs to show how being there affects her. What does that claim mean in a few words? The garden gives her calm relief from the city's noise and rush. Let's predict a line that shows a break from both, rather than a line that describes a pleasant place.
- Step 2
Test what the garden details show
Which quotations show a soothing escape, rather than only time spent in the garden? The first sprigs of mint line describes pleasure in plants and their scent, without linking it to city life. In the streetcars rattle line, the noise reaches her across the fence and reminds her that the city is close. The small bench line tells us where she sits and what she watches, but not whether she gets relief from noise or hurry. These lines don't show the garden giving her a break from the city.
- Step 3
Connect the words to both parts
Now put the lilac’s shade quotation in plain words. Clamor means loud noise, and here the street's sound fades to a quiet murmur. Unhurried means not rushed, so the silence she recalls also suggests a slower pace. Together, those details show relief from the city's noise and haste: the garden gives her quiet and a break from rushing. Choice A.