Question

read the excerpt from \how the whale got his throat\
for the mariner he was also an hi-ber-ni-an. and he stepped out on the shingle, and went home to his mother, who had given him leave to trail his toes in the water, and he married and lived happily ever afterward. so did the whale. but from that day on, the grating in his throat, which he could neither cough up nor swallow down, prevented him eating anything except very, very small fish; and that is the reason why whales nowadays never eat men or boys or little girls.
what is the central idea of this passage?
○ human beings are creative when they get into trouble.
○ because of one mans actions, whales never eat human beings.
○ whales always have a sore throat because of a grating.
○ human beings should stay away from whales to avoid being swallowed.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea, analyze each option:

• Option 1: The passage focuses on the whale's diet change, not human creativity in trouble. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The excerpt says the mariner's situation led to the whale getting a grating in its throat, which made it only eat small fish, so whales never eat humans. This matches the passage's content.
• Option 3: The passage says the grating prevents eating large prey, not that whales always have a sore throat. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The passage explains why whales don't eat humans (due to the grating), not that humans should stay away to avoid being swallowed. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. Because of one man's actions, whales never eat human beings.