Question

posttest questions 14 through 16 refer to the following passage. what does nat see? he looked out to sea and watched the crested breakers, combing green. they rose stiffly, curled, and broke again, and because it was ebb tide the roar was (5) distant, more remote, lacking the sound and thunder of the flood. then he saw them. the gulls. out there, riding the seas. what he had thought at first to be (10) the white caps of the waves were gulls. hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands...they rose and fell in the trough of the seas, heads to the wind, like a mighty fleet at anchor, waiting on the tide. to (15) eastward, and to the west, the gulls were there. they stretched as far as his eye could reach, in close formation, line upon line. had the sea been still they would have covered the bay like a white cloud, (20) head to head, body packed to body. only the east wind whipping the sea to breakers hid them from the shore. nat turned, and leaving the beach climbed the steep path home. someone (25) should know of this. someone should be told. something was happening, because of the east wind and the weather, that he did not understand. he wondered if he should go to the call box by the bus stop (30) and ring up the police. yet what could they do? what could anyone do? tens and thousands of gulls riding the sea there, in the bay, because of storm, because of hunger. the police would think him mad, (35) or drunk, or take the statement from him with great calm. “thank you. yes, the matter has already been reported. the hard weather is driving the birds inland in great numbers.” 14. why was nat alarmed? because (1) the sea was at ebb tide (2) there was going to be a flood (3) the east wind whipped the sea (4) the sea was completely full of gulls (5) the gulls were lost 15. how does nat think the police will react to him if he contacts them about what he has seen? he thinks the police will (1) arrest him (2) not take him seriously (3) take him home to his wife (4) refuse to take his statement (5) tell him to stay away from the sea 16. later in the story, nat boards up the windows of his bedroom and fills up the chimney bases in his house. based on the information in the passage, why do you think nat did these things? (1) the weather was beginning to turn cold. (2) his house was in need of insulation. (3) he was afraid of an attack by the gulls. (4) the police did not take him seriously. (5) his wife had asked him to repair the house.

Explanation:

Question 14

To determine why Nat was alarmed, we analyze the passage. The passage describes Nat seeing tens of thousands of gulls on the sea. Option (4) states "the sea was completely full of gulls", which matches the description of the large number of gulls he saw, causing his alarm. Other options: (1) ebb tide is a normal occurrence, (2) no flood indication, (3) east wind whipping sea isn't alarming in itself, (5) gulls weren't lost.

From the passage, Nat thinks "The police would think him mad, or drunk, or take the statement from him with great calm...", indicating he believes they won't take his report seriously. Option (2) "not take him seriously" aligns with this. (1) police won't arrest, (3) no indication of taking him home, (4) he thinks they might take statement (not refuse), (5) no mention of staying away from sea.

Nat saw a huge number of gulls and was uneasy about the situation. Boarding up windows and filling chimney bases suggests he fears an attack (from the gulls, as per the story's context of "The Birds"). (1) weather turning cold doesn't explain chimney filling/boarding windows, (2) house insulation not indicated, (4) police reaction is separate from his actions, (5) wife didn't ask for repairs.

Answer:

(4) the sea was completely full of gulls

Question 15