1 Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnum villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brig
htly. Father and son were at chess; the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical chances, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.
2 "Hark at the wind," said Mr. White, who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late, was amiably desirous of preventing his son from seeing it.
3 "I'm listening," said the latter grimly surveying the board as he stretched out his hand. "Check."
4 "I should hardly think that he's come tonight," said his father, with his hand poised over the board.
5 "Mate," replied the son.
6 "That's the worst of living so far out," balled Mr. White with sudden and unlooked-for violence; "Of all the beastly, slushy, out of the way places to live in, this is the worst. Path's a bog, and the road's a torrent. I don't know what people are thinking about. I suppose because only two houses in the road are let, they think it doesn't matter."
1. Which sentence BEST expresses the main idea of paragraphs 1-6?
A) Within the small parlor, there is a warm fire burning and a mother, father, and son.
B) While Mr. White plays chess with his son, Mr. White becomes unraveled emotionally by his son beating him in chess.
C) A father and his son are playing chess, but the father is preoccupied with why an expected guest of his has not yet arrived.
D) A man named Mr. White is rather upset that he lives so far out in the country and his home has none of the modern conveniences.
2. The setting in paragraph 1 MOST LIKELY demonstrates that
A) The time of day is most likely mid-morning.
B) Mr. White’s son loves to play chess all day.
C) It most likely takes place before the 1900s one evening.
D) It most likely takes place in the mid-1980s one dark afternoon.
