Question

the students locked margot in the closet because... *

they didnt think the sun would really come out.
they were being mean because she acted strange.
they were jealous that she had already seen the sun.
they though she had lied to them about the sun.

Explanation:

⚡ Using what you learned: Inferential comprehension and textual evidence

Step 1: Identify the literary context

The question refers to Ray Bradbury's famous science fiction short story, "All Summer in a Day". In this story, children live on Venus, where it rains constantly, and the sun only emerges for two hours once every seven years.

Step 2: Analyze the characters' motivations

Margot is different from the other children because she moved to Venus from Earth five years ago. She remembers the sun clearly, whereas the other children, who have lived on Venus their whole lives, do not.

The text highlights that the other children hate her for several reasons:

• Her pale, quiet appearance ("she acted strange").
• Her refusal to play games.
• Most importantly, her memories of the sun, which they do not share. They are deeply envious of her past on Earth and the fact that she has seen and remembers the sun.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• "They didn't think the sun would really come out." — While they expressed disbelief, this is not the primary emotional driver for locking her in the closet.
• "They were being mean because she acted strange." — Her behavior alienated her, but it was a secondary factor compared to their deep-seated resentment.
• "They were jealous that she had already seen the sun." — This is the core conflict. The text explicitly states they hated her for her "possible future" of returning to Earth and, most of all, because she remembered the sun from her childhood on Earth while they could not. Their jealousy drives their cruelty.
• "They though she had lied to them about the sun." — Although they call her a liar in the heat of the moment, their underlying motivation is jealousy of her actual experience.

Answer:

They were jealous that she had already seen the sun.