Question

read the following passage. bakers bluejay yarn by mark twain
animals talk to each other, of course. there can be no question about that; but i suppose there are very few people who can understand them. i never knew but one man who could. i knew he could, however, because he told me so himself. he was a middle - aged, simple - hearted miner who had lived in a lonely corner of california, among the woods and mountains, a good many years, and had studied the ways of all the wild things that were his neighbors, until he believed he could accurately translate any remark which they made. this was jim baker. according to jim baker, some animals have only a limited education, and some use only simple words and scarcely ever compare or flowery figures; whereas, certain other animals have a large vocabulary, a fine command of language and a ready and fluent delivery; consequently these latter talk a great deal; they like it; they are so conscious of their talent, and they enjoy “showing off.” baker said that after long and careful observation, he had come to the conclusion that the bluejays were the best talkers he had found among birds and beasts. said he:
“when i first began to understand language correctly, there was a little incident happened here. seven years ago, the last man in this region but me moved away. there stands his house, - - been empty ever since; a log house, with a plank roof, - - just one big room, and no more; no ceiling, - - nothing between the rafters and the floor. well, one sunday morning i was sitting out here in front of my cabin, with my cat, talking the day, and looking at the blue hills, and listening to the leaves rustling so lonely in the trees, and thinking of the home away up yonder in the states, that i hadnt heard from in thirteen years, when a bluejay lit on that house, with an acorn in his mouth, and says, hello, i reckon ive struck something! when he spoke, the acorn dropped out of his mouth and rolled down the roof. well, i dont care; his mind was all on the thing he was talking about, and he didnt notice the acorn. he cocked his head to one side, shut one eye what is the best objective summary of the passage?
(a) baker notices a bluejay discovering a knot - hole in the roof of a cabin. the bluejay tries to fill the hole with acorns, but the hole is really the entire cabin. other bluejays fly in to visit the frustrated bluejay, and they find humor in the situation.
(b) a happy bluejay finds a place to store acorns in the woods. baker watches the bluejay gather acorns to fill an entire cabin. the bluejay talks so loudly about the acorns that it attracts other bluejays to fly in and visit.
(c) baker lives alone in the woods and believes that he can understand the language of birds. a wise owl seems to visit and tells the narrator about owl semmes. baker and the owl watch bluejays gather by an abandoned cabin in the woods.
(d) a bluejay really likes to talk and make a lot of sounds. baker observes this bluejay and studies the way the bluejay stores acorns in a nearby cabin. soon other bluejays and even an owl from far away in nova scotia fly in to listen to the bluejay.

Explanation:

The passage first states animals talk to each other and Baker believes he can understand them. Then it describes an incident where Baker watches a bluejay trying to fill a hole in a cabin roof with acorns. Other bluejays visit. This shows Baker's observation of bluejays' behavior.

Answer:

a. Baker notices a bluejay discovering a knot - hole in the roof of a cabin. The bluejay tries to fill the hole with acorns, but the hole is really the entire cabin. Other bluejays fly in to visit the frustrated bluejay, and they find humor in the situation.