Question

view passage 1
this passage is from the short story \beyond variety\ by philip k. dick. the story takes place after a nuclear war has turned the world into a wasteland.
the boy fell in beside him. hendricks strode along. the boy walked silently, clutching his teddy bear.
\whats your name?\ hendricks said, after a time.
\david edward derring.\
\david? what—what happened to your mother and father?\
\they died.\
\how?\
\in the blast.\

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question 4/12
what can you infer about hendricks based on the paragraph that begins with \hendricks glanced down\?

• hendricks has lost the capacity to feel compassion for orphaned children.
• hendricks has decided that david is strange and wants to get rid of him.
• hendricks has concluded that david could become violent.
• hendricks is a keen observer of children who survived the war.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The passage shows Hendricks initiating a conversation with the boy (asking his name), which doesn't indicate loss of compassion for orphaned children.
• Option 2: There's no text suggesting Hendricks finds David strange or wants to get rid of him; he starts a conversation.
• Option 3: The passage has no clues about David being violent.
• Option 4: The fact that Hendricks engages with the boy (asking name) and the context of a post - nuclear wasteland (where observing surviving children's behavior could be important) supports that he is a keen observer of children who survived the war.

Answer:

The correct option is: Hendricks is a keen observer of children who survived the war.