Question

level 7, passage 2 \catwalk\ when i woke up, late afternoon had arrived in chicago. my friends and i had driven up from a small town in missouri and had never been to the big city before. we were staying in a shabby older hotel in the heart of the city. because our room was on the backside of the hotel, our only vista was the catwalk in front of the window and the unadorned and boring backsides of other buildings. bummer. since dinner was still a few hours away, i decided to go exploring. telling my friends \ill be back in forty - five minutes,\ i left the room. at the end of the hall, i spied a door to the outside. not wanting to set off a fire alarm, i examined the door scrupulously before opening it. \thatd be just like some hayseed from the sticks,\ i chuckled to myself.
o sooner has he gotten to the big city than he does something stupid.\ i opened the door cautiously and peered through it. no alarm sounded, and beyond the door, the catwalk and intoxicating city air beckoned to me. stepping out to the railing and leaving the door slightly ajar, i surveyed the cityscape, such as it was. out of the corner of my eye, something struck me as peculiar about the door, something that i did not fully comprehend until a gust of wind arose and eased the door shut: click. the door was peculiar: it had no outside knob, which is how i found myself locked outside of the fourth floor of the hotel. of course, the easy thing would have been for me to follow the catwalk around to the window of my room and ask my pals to open the door for me. had i done that, they would have teased me for the rest of my life. so i tried to climb down the fire escape to the street, but its lowest flight was missing, and it was too far for me to jump. having no other choice, i climbed up the fire escape in the hope of finding an open door. up and up and up i climbed. when i got to the twenty - second story, i saw—through the glass window in the fire door—some men working in an office. engrossed in their discussion, they did not notice me. i knocked politely on the door, but they still did not notice me. clues 1 2 3 4 5 6 level 7, passage 2 questions \catwalk\ 1.why did the author decide to go for a walk? a. he was feeling pent up like a sardine in the hotel room. b. it was too early for dinner. c. his friends dared him to go. d. all of the above. 2.what is the probably meaning of the word \hayseed\ in the third paragraph? a. seed from which hay is grown. b. a dishonest person. c. a person who lives in a small town. d. a person who enjoys working with sticks. 3.what is the authors reason for writing this passage? a. to entertain us with an embarrassing story. b. to tell us a little about life in chicago. c. to show us how cruel his friends are. d. to frighten us with a tale of narrow escape. 4.what is the most likely reason the author didnt ask his friends for help? a. they would not have let him into the room. b. he did not want them to know he locked himself out on the catwalk. c. he did not want to disturb their naps. d. he was quite sure that he could rescue himself if he stayed calm. 5.if the author knocks really hard on the fire door, … a. they may let him back in. b. they may ask him to identify himself. c. the men may call hotel security. d. all of the above. 6.this passage is mostly about… a. how a country kid gets along with others in the big city. b. how to trap yourself on a fire escape. c. how a young man tries to avoid teasing. d. the risk any person takes by visiting chicago.

Explanation:

1. The author says "Since dinner was still a few hours away, I decided to go exploring" (so b is correct as it's too early for dinner). Also, the room view was boring (like a sardine in a can - a is correct). There's no mention of friends daring (c wrong). So only a and b apply. But in the options, if we assume the passage implies feeling cooped up (a) and early for dinner (b) as reasons (even if not all options like d which says all are correct - but c is wrong. Maybe a mis - wording. But based on text: "late afternoon... dinner was still a few hours away" and "only vista was... boring" - a and b. But if we consider the options, maybe the intended answer is a. But strictly from text: a ("feeling pent up like a sardine") and b ("too early for dinner") are correct. But since it's a multiple - choice and if we assume the test - maker's view (maybe overlooking c as no text support), but a and b are valid. However, if we consider the first paragraph: "late afternoon... dinner was still a few hours away" (b) and "only vista was... boring" (a).
2. The author is from a small town (from Missouri small town). "Hayseed" is a slang for a country bumpkin, a person from a small town. So c is correct.
3. The author tells a story about getting locked out (an embarrassing situation - locked on the catwalk). So a (to entertain with an embarrassing story) is correct. There's no mention of cruelty to friends (c wrong), not just a little about life (b too vague), not a narrow escape (d - he was just locked out, not a life - threatening escape).
4. The author says "Had I done that (asked friends), they would have teased me for the rest of my life". So b (didn't want them to know he locked himself out) is correct.
5. If he knocks hard: they may let him in (a - if they notice), may ask to identify (b - standard), may call security (c - if they think it's a threat). So d (all of the above) is correct.
6. The story is about a young man (from a small town - implied young as "that'd be just like some hayseed") trying to avoid teasing (by not asking friends, climbing fire escape). So c is correct. Not about country kid's social life (a), not a guide to trap (b - it's an accident), not general risk of Chicago (d - too broad).

Answer:

1. a. He was feeling pent up like a sardine in the hotel room; b. It was too early for dinner.
2. c. A person who lives in a small town.
3. a. To entertain us with an embarrassing story.
4. b. He did not want them to know he locked himself out on the catwalk.
5. d. All of the above.
6. c. How a young man tries to avoid teasing.