Question

While Olivia listened to the band on stage, she occasionally glanced at her friend Jeremy, who was bopping his head, eyes closed, smiling the entire time. How could he recommend music like this? Olivia was tempted to put her fingers in her ears. The lead singer sounded as if he were either in pain or a dog lost in the woods. Her eardrums felt like they would burst.
What sentence best finishes the paragraph?

She just couldn’t stand another minute of the incessant howling.
She didn’t like the singing and decided to leave the music club.
She needed a break from the loud music and the big crowds.
She finally put her fingers in her ears and felt much better.

Answer 1

Answer:

I too believe the best option to be letter a) She just couldn't stand another minute of the incessant howling.

Explanation:

At a quick glance, all options seem to fit the situation and to close the paragraph well. All of them relate to how Olivia feels about the band. However, the language throughout the paragraph describing Olivia's emotions and opinion is intense. Olivia doesn't simply dislike the singing; she absolutely hates it. It sounds like a person (howling) in pain or a dog (howling) lost in the woods! If she feels as if her eardrums are about to burst, that means she can't stand it anymore. Thus, to keep the language in the conclusion sentence cohesive with the rest of the paragraph, the best option is indeed letter a.

Answer 2

The first option, "[she] just couldn't stand another minute of the incessant howling", seems to be the best one to finish the paragraph. First of all, the paragraph has very specific and powerful vocabulary like "bopping his head" and "burst". So a concluding sentence should also have strong vocabulary. In this case "howling" is a very descriptive and powerful verb. Moreover, in the paragraph, the narrator mentions that "[the] lead singer sounded as (...) a dog lost in the woods". Using the word "howling", which is something done by dogs, in the concluding sentence would be consistant with the comparison between the singer and a lost dog.