Question

Read the excerpt from "The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean.” The bean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore, could not but laugh at the event, was unable to stop, and laughed so heartily that she burst. It would have been all over with her, likewise, if, by good fortune, a tailor who was travelling in search of work had not sat down to rest by the brook. As he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread, and sewed her together. The bean thanked him most prettily, but as the tailor used black thread, all beans since then have a black seam. Which statement most accurately explains the structure of this passage?

Answer 1

Answer:

C. The author uses cause and effect to show that the tailor's repair causes the bean to have a black line.

Explanation:

Answer 2

This question is missing the options. I've found the options online, and they are as follows:

[...] Which statement most accurately explains the structure of this passage?

A. The author builds up to the most important idea in the story, which is that the bean lives.

B. The author uses chronological order to show the history of the bean's experiences.

C. The author uses cause and effect to show that the tailor's repair causes the bean to have a black line.

D. The author uses problem and solution to show how the tailor solves the bean's problem of having exploded.

Answer:

The statement that best explains the structure of the passage is:

C. The author uses cause and effect to show that the tailor's repair causes the bean to have a black line.

Explanation:

We must read the full passage before we can choose the best answer. We might be tempted to choose the option that speaks of chronological order, since the author does use it to build the story in the proper sequence. It is only in the end that we get to see the purpose of the passage. When the author says, "The bean thanked him most prettily, but as the tailor used black thread, all beans since then have a black seam," it is revealed that the passage is actually telling us the cause behind the black spot every bean has. The cause is the black thread used by the tailor to mend a bean that had exploded. The effect is the black spot itself. Therefore, the best option is letter C.