Question

read the excerpt from the great gatsby.

the telephone rang inside, startlingly, and as daisy shook her head decisively at tom the subject of the stables, in fact all subjects, vanished into air. among the broken fragments of the last five minutes at table i remember the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and i was conscious of wanting to look squarely at every one, and yet to avoid all eyes. i couldn’t guess what daisy and tom were thinking, but i doubt if even miss baker, who seemed to have mastered a certain hardy skepticism, was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind. to a certain temperament the situation might have seemed intriguing—my own instinct was to telephone immediately for the police.

the phone calls that tom receives during the dinner are an indicator that
he has important business deals in the works.

Explanation:

In "The Great Gatsby", Tom's phone calls during dinner are actually related to his affair (with Myrtle), not business deals. The tension and Daisy's reaction, plus the context of the novel (exploring themes of infidelity, social class, etc.), show the calls are about his extramarital relationship, so the statement is incorrect.

Answer:

The statement "he has important business deals in the works" is incorrect. The phone calls Tom receives during dinner are related to his extramarital affair (with Myrtle), not business, as evidenced by the tension it creates among the characters (like Daisy's reaction) and the broader themes of the novel.