Question

case english ii
50 yegor flew into a rage. \did you mean to make a fool of me? you come here so meek—try for me, do try for me—and then you refuse to take the place. you rascal, you have disgraced me!\
51 gerasim found nothing to say in reply. he reddened and lowered his eyes. yegor turned his back scornfully and said nothing more. then gerasim quietly picked up his cap and left the coachman’s room. he crossed the yard rapidly, went out by the gate, and hurried off down the street. he felt happy and lighthearted.
excerpt from \the servant\ by s.t. semyonov from best russian short stories compiled and edited by thomas seltzer. copyright 1917 by boni and liveright, public domain.

1. select two sentences that belong in an accurate summary of the passage.

a gerasim needs a job and asks the coachman yegor for his assistance.
b gerasim lost his last position because he was forced to report for military service.
c yegor schemes to replace lazy polikarpych with gerasim, a young man who is down on his luck but a hard worker.
d yegor sympathizes with gerasim’s predicament and wants to help him succeed.
e gerasim turns down the job yegor helps him obtain after listening to the conversation between polikarpych and his wife.
why does the author include the description of gerasim’s efforts to find work in paragraphs 1 - 2?
a to reinforce the generosity of his decision to turn down the only job he is offered
b to highlight his pessimism in the face of adversity
c to suggest that he is more deserving of the job than the man he is hired to replace
d to create irony that someone so skilled cannot find employment

Explanation:

Question 8 (Select two sentences for summary)

• Option A: The passage implies Gerasim needs a job and seeks Yegor's help (e.g., Yegor's anger about Gerasim refusing the place suggests Yegor was helping him get it), so this fits.
• Option E: The excerpt shows Gerasim refuses the job (Yegor is angry about him refusing), and contextually, it's after the situation with Polikarpych, so this fits.
• Option B: No info about military service in the excerpt.
• Option C: No mention of Yegor scheming to replace Polikarpych with Gerasim (excerpt focuses on Yegor's anger at Gerasim refusing, not the scheme).
• Option D: Yegor is angry, not sympathetic, so D is wrong.

• Option A: If Gerasim struggled to find work (efforts in paragraphs 1 - 2), turning down the only job offer would show generosity (he gives up a chance when he needed work), so this makes sense.
• Option B: The excerpt shows him happy after leaving, not pessimistic.
• Option C: No comparison to Polikarpych’s deservingness in the excerpt.
• Option D: No info about his skill level in the excerpt.

Answer:

A. Gerasim needs a job and asks the coachman Yegor for his assistance. ; E. Gerasim turns down the job Yegor helps him obtain after listening to the conversation between Polikarpych and his wife.

Second Question (Why author includes Gerasim’s job - finding efforts)