Question

drawing a conclusion
read the passage. then answer the question that follows.
portia. why, know’st thou any harm’s intended towards him?
soothsayer. none that i know will be; much that i fear may chance.
good morrow to you. here the street is narrow.
the throng that follows caesar at the heels,
of senators, of praetors, common suitors,
will crowd a feeble man almost to death.
i’ll get me to a place more void, and there
speak to great caesar as he comes along.
—the tragedy of julius caesar,
william shakespeare
what conclusion can you draw about the soothsayer’s prediction about caesar?
○ the soothsayer thinks that caesar will not be harmed.
× the soothsayer believes caesar may be harmed soon.
○ the soothsayer is not sure if caesar will be harmed or not.
○ the soothsayer will only speak to caesar about possible harm.

Explanation:

To determine the conclusion about the soothsayer’s prediction, we analyze the soothsayer’s dialogue: “None that I know will be; much that I fear may chance.” This shows the soothsayer is not certain that harm will occur (ruling out the first option which claims he thinks Caesar will not be harmed) but has fear that harm “may chance” (so he is not unsure in a way that he has no inclination—he fears it may happen, so the third option is incorrect). The fourth option is incorrect as the passage doesn’t suggest he will only speak to Caesar about possible harm (he is going to speak to Caesar as he comes along, but the focus is on his prediction of harm, not the condition of his speaking). The second option, “The soothsayer believes Caesar may be harmed soon,” aligns with his statement that he fears harm may chance (happen), indicating he believes harm is a possible event soon.

Answer:

The soothsayer believes Caesar may be harmed soon.