Question

The Landlady:

Which of the following statements best identifies a theme of the text?
A. People should get to know each other first before resorting to judgment.
B. Strangers can be more dangerous than they initially appear.
C. Loneliness can drive people to behave strangely towards others.
D. Kindness and hospitality are difficult to find among strangers.

PART A: What does the word "compelling" mean as used in paragraph 12?
A. to urge someone to do something
B. to think deeply about something
C. to become slightly interested in something
D. to scare someone into doing something

PART B: Which quote from paragraph 12 best supports the answer to Part A?
A. "After dithering about like this in the cold for two or three minutes"
B. "when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner"
C. "Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass"
D. "forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house"

PART A: What can the reader infer about the landlady from her conversation with Billy in the sitting room?
A. She was a doctor or likely had some medical training, as evidenced by her ability to stuff her pets.
B. She is a lonely old woman who lost her son in the war and tries to replace him with her particular tenants.
C. She may have witnessed something terrible and suffers memory problems because she cannot recall Billy's name correctly.
D. She may be more threatening than she appears because her words suggest she was involved in the two men's disappearances.

PART B: Which of the following details from the text best support the answer to Part A?
A. "He guessed that she had probably lost a son in the war, or something like that, and had never got over it." (Paragraph 49)
B. "'Left?' she said, arching her brows. 'But my dear boy, he never left. He's still here. Mr Temple is also here.'" (Paragraph 82)
C. "he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell... he wasn't quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital?" (Paragraph 78)
D. "'if I happen to forget what you were called, then I can always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr Mulholland and Mr... Mr...'"
(Paragraph 103)

Answer 1

The Landlady

Theme: C. Loneliness can drive people to behave strangely towards others.

Part A: A. to urge someone to do something

Part B: D. "forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house"

Part A: B. She is a lonely old woman who lost her son in the war and tries to replace him with her particular tenants.

Part B: B. "'Left?' she said, arching her brows. 'But my dear boy, he never left. He's still here. Mr Temple is also here.'" (Paragraph 82)