Question

read the story.

halifax

1 alec opened the front door to a gust of canadas cold winter wind, and the door banged hard against the house before he could get it shut. the cool, fresh air was a relief from the overly warm and loud kitchen he had just left. his brothers and sister were squabbling more than usual these days, and his mother was distracted.

2 he pulled his cap over his ears and walked through the snowy streets of halifax to the shipyard. a milkman and the horse pulling his cart were shivering as they worked, making alec grateful to have an indoor job working as a clerk for his familys shipbuilding company. alecs uncle edward

which of the following describes alecs attitude toward family?

he feels resentful that hes being pushed to work in the family business.
he feels a strong sense of responsibility and duty to his family.
he is proud of his familys long history with shipbuilding.
he is jealous of his brothers and sisters for having less work than he does.

Explanation:

Analyze the text evidence

Using the Reading Comprehension and Literary Analysis knowledge points

• Paragraph 1 describes Alec leaving a "warm and loud kitchen" where his "brothers and sister were squabbling more than usual" and his "mother was distracted." This indicates a chaotic home environment, but does not show resentment, pride, or jealousy.
• Paragraph 2 states that seeing the shivering milkman and horse made Alec "grateful to have an indoor job working as a clerk for his family's shipbuilding company."
• The word "grateful" directly contradicts the idea that he feels "resentful" about being pushed to work there.
• There is no mention of the family's "long history" or Alec feeling "proud" of it, nor any mention of him being "jealous" of his siblings' workload.
• His gratitude for the indoor job at the family business, despite the cold and chaotic home, reflects a positive, dutiful connection to his family's enterprise.

Evaluate the options

Using the Reading Comprehension knowledge point

• Option 1: "He feels resentful..." is incorrect because he is explicitly described as "grateful" for the job.
• Option 2: "He feels a strong sense of responsibility and duty to his family." This aligns with his willingness to work as a clerk in the family business and his reflective, grateful attitude.
• Option 3: "He is proud of his family's long history..." is incorrect because the text does not discuss the history of the company or his pride in it.
• Option 4: "He is jealous of his brothers and sisters..." is incorrect because the text only mentions they were squabbling, with no reference to their work or his jealousy.

Answer:

• He feels resentful that he's being pushed to work in the family business.
• He feels a strong sense of responsibility and duty to his family. (Correct answer)
• He is proud of his family's long history with shipbuilding.
• He is jealous of his brothers and sisters for having less work than he does.