Question

Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay. The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens—finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run. The front was broken by a line of French windows, glowing now with reflected gold and wide open to the warm windy afternoon, and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch. Based on this description of the Buchanans’ house, what inference can be made about many East Egg residents?

Answer 1

This question is missing the answer choices. I was able to find the complete question online. Since the excerpt is the same, I will omit it. The choices are as follows:

Based on this description of the Buchanans' house, what inference can be made about many East Egg residents?

A. They hide their unattractive qualities beneath beautiful, light, and dreamy appearances.

B. They commonly ride horses in the afternoon or early evening hours.

C. They are more sophisticated than West Egg residents, because they have less money.

D. They place more importance on the appearance of their homes than in anything else.

Answer:

Based on the description, the inference we can make is:

A. They hide their unattractive qualities beneath beautiful, light, and dreamy appearances.

Explanation:

This question refers to "The Great Gatsby," a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century. This novel explores themes such as the moral decadence of the American society as well as the corruption of the American dream.

In the excerpt we are analyzing here, the narrator, Nick, is describing the Buchanans' home. Nick is cousin to Daisy Buchanan, who is married to Tom, an "old money" millionaire. The grandeur of their mansion, its beauty and opulence, is nothing but a façade. Those who live inside it are shallow, egotistical, unfaithful people. Tom and Daisy, along with their friend Jordan Baker, live their days trying to escape boredom. To do so, they party, they cheat, and they gossip. Their manners and values are tainted, and their happiness is fake.

With that in mind, we can choose letter A as the best inference:

A. They hide their unattractive qualities beneath beautiful, light, and dreamy appearances.