Question

(1) the novel the alchemist is a fable about following dreams. (2) paulo coelhos simple tale of a shepherd boy who gives up his flock to pursue treasure has been published in 56 different languages and sold more than 65 million copies worldwide.

(3) the story begins with the boy, santiago, having a dream that he finds treasure at the egyptian pyramids. (4) after sharing his dream with a couple of interesting characters, including a gypsy who claims she can interpret dreams, he decides to sell his sheep and search for the treasure.

(5) after several disappointments like this, santiago decides to accept his fate as a person who will never achieve his dream. (6) but each time he decides to give up and buy his sheep back, the universe \conspires\ to change his mind by helping him get closer to his goal.

(7) important themes in the novel include \following your personal legend\ or hearts desire, and listening to the omens.

what sentence should be inserted before sentence 5?
a. santiago gets tired of pursuing his personal legend and goes to sleep.
b. africa is a new place santiago has never been to, and he finds a job quickly.
c. santiagos parents send word that they want him to return home.
d. as soon as he arrives in africa, a thief steals all of santiagos money.

Explanation:

Analyze the context of sentence 5

Using the Text Structure Analysis and Reading Comprehension knowledge points:

• Sentence 5 begins with: "(5) After several disappointments like this, Santiago decides to accept his fate as a person who will never achieve his dream."
• The phrase "disappointments like this" is a demonstrative reference requiring a specific, major setback or disappointment to be described immediately beforehand.
• Looking at the preceding paragraph, sentence 4 ends with Santiago deciding to "sell his sheep and search for the treasure." This is an optimistic action, not a disappointment. Therefore, a sentence describing a major disappointment must be inserted between sentence 4 and sentence 5.

Evaluate the answer choices

• Option A: "Santiago gets tired of pursuing his Personal Legend and goes to sleep." Going to sleep is not a major "disappointment like this" that would lead him to believe he will "never achieve his dream."
• Option B: "Africa is a new place Santiago has never been to, and he finds a job quickly." Finding a job quickly is a positive event, not a disappointment.
• Option C: "Santiago's parents send word that they want him to return home." While potentially discouraging, this does not constitute a severe, dream-shattering disappointment on its own in the context of his journey.
• Option D: "As soon as he arrives in Africa, a thief steals all of Santiago's money." Having all of his money stolen immediately upon arrival is a devastating, direct setback (a major disappointment) that logically causes him to feel like "a person who will never achieve his dream."

Confirm logical coherence

• Inserting Option D creates a seamless transition: Santiago sells his sheep to search for treasure (sentence 4) $

ightarrow$ he arrives in Africa and gets all his money stolen (inserted sentence) $
ightarrow$ "After several disappointments like this," he decides to give up (sentence 5). This fits perfectly.

Answer:

• A. Santiago gets tired of pursuing his Personal Legend and goes to sleep.
• B. Africa is a new place Santiago has never been to, and he finds a job quickly.
• C. Santiago's parents send word that they want him to return home.
• D. As soon as he arrives in Africa, a thief steals all of Santiago's money. (Correct answer)