Question

the guest
yevheniya yaroshynska
translated by roma franko
she told him how much sugar the hens had laid, that meat had gone up in price, again, that other vegetables were terrible, and that the wash was giving her no end of trouble—it had been hanging on the line for three days now without drying.
he heard her out with his customary consideration. this was the report he had to listen to every day when he came home from school and sat down to have dinner with his wife.
after they finished discussing every item in detail, she finally asked him how things had gone for him in school that day.
oh, he had more than his share of problems as well! the young mykhaylovych lad was sorely trying his patience. he was very mischievous and disruptive, but could not be dealt with strictly because he was the principal’s son.
“just imagine this, if you can! he drew a caricature of me on the board today and then wrote under it: ‘the teacher, wearing a coat altered by his wife.’ i think it would be better if you didn’t try your hand at tailoring—your alterations are making me the butt of the youngsters’ jokes.”
while saying this, he glanced over at his coat. its overly long coattails and foreshortened sleeves truly did not inspire any feelings of awe or betray an elevated aesthetic sense.
but his words got him into deep trouble! they were cause for real indignation!
things even went so far that his wife accused him of reproaching her for her hard work.
which quote from the selection supports the theme of monotony?
a “its overly long coattails and foreshortened sleeves truly did not inspire any feelings of awe or betray an elevated aesthetic sense.”
b “they remained in the same place year after year, with the same worries, the same apprehensions?”
c “what did they really know about life?”
d “in the summer, they had to cope with the dust that drifted from the road into their living quarters.”

Explanation:

To determine which quote supports the theme of monotony, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Describes the coat’s unappealing design, focusing on aesthetics, not monotony.
• Option B: States they “remained in the same place year after year, with the same worries, the same aggravations.” This directly emphasizes repetition and unchanging circumstances, a core element of monotony.
• Option C: Questions knowledge of life, which relates to uncertainty or introspection, not monotony.
• Option D: Discusses coping with dust in summer, focusing on a seasonal problem, not monotony.

Answer:

B. "They remained in the same place year after year, with the same worries, the same aggravations?"