Question

some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having nothing particular to interest me on shore, i thought i would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. whenever i find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly november in my soul, then, i account it high time to get to sea as soon as i can. there is nothing surprising in this. if they but knew it, almost all people in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

now, when i say that i am in the habit of going to sea whenever i begin to grow hazy about the eyes and begin to be over-conscious of my lungs, i do not mean to have it inferred that i ever go to sea as a passenger. passengers get sea-sick, grow quarrelsome, don’t sleep of nights, do not enjoy themselves much, as a general thing; no, i never go as a passenger, nor, though i am something of an experienced sailor, do i ever go to sea as a commodore, or a captain, or a cook. i abandon the glory and distinction of such offices to those who like them. for my part, i abominate all honorable respectable toils, trials, and tribulations of every kind whatsoever. it is quite as much as i can do to take care of myself, without taking care of ships, schooners, and whatnot. and as for going as a cook, – though i confess there is considerable glory in that, a cook being a sort of officer on ship-board – yet, somehow, i never fancied broiling fowls; – though once broiled, judiciously buttered, and judgmentally salted and peppered, there is no one who will speak more respectfully, not to say reverentially, of a broiled fowl than i will.

i always go to sea as a sailor because they make a point of paying me for my trouble; whereas they never pay passengers a single penny that i ever heard of. on the contrary, passengers themselves must pay. and there is all the difference in the world between paying and being paid. the act of paying is an uncomfortable infliction. but being paid, what will compare with it? the urbane activity with which a person receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills.

assessment questions
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 34
2 out of 34 answered

question 3
according to paragraph 2, how does the narrator view the roles of commodore and captain?
a. he believes that the roles require less skill than sailors.
b. he considers their responsibilities to be too great for him.
c. he hopes to one day be promoted to commodore or captain.
d. he considers a commodore’s responsibility more important than a captain’s.

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Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option by referring to the relevant part of the passage (paragraph 2):

• Option A: The passage doesn't compare the skill of these roles with sailors. Eliminate A.
• Option B: The narrator says "I abandon the glory and distinction of such offices to those who like them. For my part, I abominate all honorable respectable toils, trials, and tribulations of every kind whatsoever. It is quite as much as I can do to take care of myself, without taking care of ships, schooners, and whatnot." This shows he finds the responsibilities (taking care of ships etc.) too great for him as he can barely take care of himself. This matches.
• Option C: The narrator says he abandons those roles to others, so he has no desire to be promoted to them. Eliminate C.
• Option D: The passage doesn't compare the importance of commodore's and captain's responsibilities. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. He considers their responsibilities to be too great for him.