Question

the postmaster
summarizing
skill:
summarizing
sync+skills
reread paragraphs 19–25 from the text. then, using the checklist on the previous page, answer the multiple-
choice questions below.
your turn

1. what is the most important idea in paragraph 21?

a. decisions are a result of both our inner feelings and reality.
b. being lonely causes illness.
c. resettling in a new place can cause depression and be grueling on the body.
d. people make poor decisions when they are sick.

1. which of the following selections best identifies two themes present in the section of text?

a. \with an overflowing heart ratan rushed into the room with her—were you calling me, dada?\
b. \while ratan was awaiting her call, the postmaster was awaiting a reply to his application.\
c.
elieved from her duties as nurse, ratan again took up her old place outside the door. but she
no longer heard the same old call.\
d. \in the loneliness of his exile, and in the gloom of the rains, his ailing body needed a little tender
nursing.\

1. which statement below is an objective summary of the text?

a. the postmaster feels bored and lonely in the new village.
b. ratan provides the postmaster with some comfort, but this does not cause him to stay.
c. the postmaster longs for life in calcutta and this desire to belong outweighs a perceivedobligation to ratan or his post.
d. the postmaster’s sudden departure is selfish and provides little comfort to ratan.

Explanation:

To solve these questions, we analyze each one based on the text (from "The Postmaster"):

Question 1

We need to identify the main idea of paragraph 21.

• Option A: Decisions from feelings/reality – not likely the focus of a single paragraph about resettlement or loneliness.
• Option B: Loneliness causing illness – too narrow; the text’s paragraph 21 (in context) is about resettlement’s impact.
• Option C: Resettling in a new place causes depression and physical strain – matches the theme of adjustment struggles.
• Option D: Poor decisions when sick – irrelevant to the paragraph’s focus.

Thus, the answer is C. Resettling in a new place can cause depression and be grueling on the body.

Question 2

We need two themes (e.g., loneliness, duty, care).

• Option A: Shows Ratan’s eagerness – one theme (longing), not two.
• Option B: Parallel waiting (Ratan and postmaster) – one theme (anticipation), not two.
• Option C: Ratan’s duty change and lost “call” – themes of duty and loss/change.
• Option D: Postmaster’s loneliness and illness – one theme (loneliness), not two.

Thus, the answer is C. “Relieved from her duties as nurse, Ratan again took up her old place outside the door. But she no longer heard the same old call.”

Question 3

We need an objective summary (neutral, factual).

• Option A: Subjective (focuses on feelings, not a summary of events).
• Option B: Ratan’s comfort and postmaster’s departure – incomplete (misses his longing for Calcutta).
• Option C: Postmaster longs for Calcutta, prioritizes that over Ratan/his post – objective, covers key events.
• Option D: Subjective (labels departure “selfish”).

Thus, the answer is C. The postmaster longs for life in Calcutta and this desire to belong outweighs a perceived obligation to Ratan or his post.

Answer:

s:

1. C. Resettling in a new place can cause depression and be grueling on the body.
2. C. “Relieved from her duties as nurse, Ratan again took up her old place outside the door. But she no longer heard the same old call.”
3. C. The postmaster longs for life in Calcutta and this desire to belong outweighs a perceived obligation to Ratan or his post.