Question

8
the following question has two parts. first, answer part a. then, answer part b.

part a
click on the statement that best provides an inference about giocondo.

a. he is in disbelief about the king’s actions.

b. he is joyfully surprised about the gift given to him.

c. he is a generous man who enjoys giving gifts to other people.

d. he is a courteous man who wants to show gratitude to the king.

part b
click on the sentence from the text that best supports your answer in part a.

before long the king, accompanied by the entire royal household and half the islanders, approached the ship. the king himself carried the precious gift on a silken cushion. with great pride he put the cushion into giocondo’s outstretched greedy hands. giocondo was speechless. on the cushion, curled in sleepy, furry balls, were two of the kittens that had been born to the

Explanation:

Part A

To determine the best inference about Giocondo, we analyze each option:

• Option A: "He is in disbelief about the king’s actions." The text says "Giocondo was speechless" when the king gave the gift. Being speechless can indicate disbelief or shock at the king's generous action of personally bringing a precious gift.
• Option B: "He is joyfully surprised about the gift given to him." The text describes his hands as "greedy" and him as "speechless"—there's no clear indication of joy, more like shock or disbelief.
• Option C: "He is a generous man who enjoys giving gifts to other people." The text focuses on the king giving a gift to Giocondo, not Giocondo giving gifts.
• Option D: "He is a courteous man who wants to show gratitude to the king." The text doesn't show Giocondo trying to show gratitude; it shows the king giving a gift and Giocondo's reaction.

So, the best inference is A.

We need a sentence that supports the inference in Part A (Giocondo is in disbelief about the king’s actions). The sentence "Giocondo was speechless" shows his reaction to the king's action of giving the precious gift. Being speechless aligns with being in disbelief or shock about what the king did. Other sentences describe the king's actions, not Giocondo's reaction related to disbelief.

Answer:

A. He is in disbelief about the king’s actions.

Part B