Question

Read the following description of a setting for a short story and select all of the things that you can tell about the story.

Answer 1

We don’t know that Gregory will become disorderly just because his roommate is- the description made it clear this messy way of life is chaotic and not his style. So it could happen, but nothing in the description hints that the first answer could be correct. Let’s cross that one out.

Now the second and third answers
“G and roommate will have difficulty adjusting to each other”
It is clear they are quite different. Does this always mean differences between people make things difficult? Not at all! However, the tone of the description tells me G. Is already forming opinions about his roomie based on his only his belongings. They haven’t met yet, and G already seems to have judged him and when we prematurely assume and judge, typically we have a hard time getting along. Based off these things, do you think it’s fair to say this is true??

I think it may be!


“G May have to learn to adjust and compromise”. Think of times in life when he have to do this. We adjust to new, uncomfortable situations and compromise with someone who has a different idea, viewpoint, or different ways of life. Does it sound like the two roommates are similar or different? Will they need to adjust and compromise do you think?

I’d say so.

Think about how different it would sound like this: G walked into the room, glancing at what might be a hampster- cool, his roommate likes animals, that must be a good sign. The room was messy, but the most peaceful, diplomatic person G. knew, his mother, kept her room even messier than this. G took deep breath and reminded himself that he wouldn’t love to be judged off the contents of his room, either. One look at his books and desk and anyone might think he was a psychotic, type A, snooty person, and that would be further from the truth. Anyway, they could always compromise and decide to meet in the middle- G was a lover, not a fighter, and as long as his roommate wasn’t violent or plotting his next murder, G had a feeling it’d be all okay. Maybe he could even learn how to take some cool pictures around campus to send his mom from the new roommate. In return, G thought, he’d teach his roommate his ten minute study plan that had been scoring him A’s in even his worst subject for the last few years. College was all about learning new things and discovering who you really were- maybe a roommate nothing like himself was exactly what Greg needed to get the most out of the next four years.”

See how the last two answers would probably be wrong here? Feel this shift in the characters attitudes towards the roommate? I made it a bit obvious, but only to help you use the clues in the actual description to decide what the tone is.

Answer 2

2 and 3. ................