Question

Read the excerpt below from the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling and answer the question that follows.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley. . . . He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter—the boy who lived!"

Source: Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1997. 21. Print.



The excerpt above is from page 21 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling. Which passage represents a summary from the excerpt above?

Harry Potter lies outside his aunt and uncle's house, unaware that his life has changed forever (Rowling 21).
A wind sweeps gently over the trimmed hedges of Privet Drive, which lies quiet and neat under the dark sky, not a place where one would expect anything out of the ordinary to occur (Rowling 21).
While Potter lies outside his aunt and uncle's house, he "[sleeps] on, not knowing he [is] special" and praised all over the country (Rowling 21).
The Harry Potter books are so entertaining because they paint a picture of a world in which we all want to live. We all long to find that extraordinary secret that will reveal our own special quality. Like little infant Potter waiting outside his aunt and uncle’s house (Rowling 21), it's just a matter of time until we find that we are, after all, special.

Answer 1

The answer is C....... I hope this helps. :)

Answer 2

The passage that best summarizes the excerpt from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is passage C: "While Potter lies outside his aunt and uncle's house, he "[sleeps] on, not knowing he [is] special" and praised all over the country (Rowling 21). "

Here, the main events that develop in that excerpt are well represented including the necessary information:

• First, Harry Potter lies outside his aunt and uncle's house.
• Second, he sleeps, not knowing he is special.
• Third, people are praising him for being the boy who survived.

Reasons for not selecting the other options:

Option A lacks information, as it only makes reference to the fact that his life has changed, leaving outside some details mentioned in the excerpt.

Option B only paraphrases the beginning of the excerpt.

Option D contains a personal opinion of Harry Potter's books, moving away from the goal of summarizing the excerpt.