Question

read the passage.
the narrator, harold, edward, and selina are childhood friends.
from dream days

1
harold was hardly old enough to possess a special subject of
his own. he had his instincts, indeed, and at birds-nesting they
almost amounted to prophecy. where we others only suspected
eggs, surmised possible eggs, hinted doubtfully at eggs in the
neighbourhood, harold went straight for the right bush, bough, or
hole as if he carried a divining-rod. but this faculty belonged to
the class of mere gifts, and was not to be ranked with edwards
lore regarding facings, and mine as to the habits of
prairie-dogs....

2
selinas subject, quite unaccountably, happened to be naval
history. there is no laying down rules as to subjects; you just
possess them—or rather, they possess you.

(from dream days by kenneth grahame)

facings the colorful linings of military uniforms

this sentence is from the passage.
\selinas subject, quite unaccountably, happened to be naval
history.\ (paragraph 2)

the word unaccountably has the same latin root as account.
what does unaccountably mean in the passage?

1. not having a plan
2. not knowing how to begin
3. in a way that is not helpful
4. in a way that cannot be explained

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "unaccountably", we analyze the context and the Latin root connection to "account". The sentence says Selina's subject being naval history was "unaccountably" so, and the passage implies there's no clear reason for it (as "you just possess them—or rather, they possess you" about subjects). The Latin root of "account" relates to explanation/reckoning. Option 4, "in a way that cannot be explained", fits because "un -" is a negative prefix, so "unaccountably" would mean not able to be accounted for (explained). Options 1 (no plan), 2 (not knowing how to begin), and 3 (not helpful) don't relate to the idea of explanation or the root of "account".

Answer:

1. In a way that cannot be explained