Multiple choice

Directions: Read the paragraph and answer the question that follows.

Most people don't know the true story of the little boy who came to be known as Douglas Craig. He was found wandering around the streets of Washington, D.C. He could not hear or speak. It is said that a man named Craig found the little boy and took him to Dr. E. M. Gallaudet at Gallaudet College. Dr. Gallaudet gave him the first name of Douglas, and the last name of Craig, after the man who found him. The little boy became Douglas Craig. Dr. Gallaudet placed Douglas in the Kendall School, and he stayed there until he was old enough to work. He spent his life working in and around the halls of Gallaudet. Douglas grew to become a tall, strong man. He had many duties, such as picking up mail at the post office, mowing grass, raking leaves, tending the flower beds, raising and lowering the heavy drop curtain on the stage for plays in the chapel, and carrying notes from the boys to the girls. Douglas actively sought a wife during his life at Gallaudet. It is said that he asked all of the black cooks in the college kitchen to marry him. For a time, he courted a black woman from Baltimore. Later in life, he married a black deaf woman from Washington.

What is the main idea of the story?

  1. Craig liked women.

  2. Gallaudet is the best place for an orphan to grow up.

  3. Craig was an orphan, and no one ever found out exactly what happened to his family.

  4. Craig, a man with an unusual background, worked at Gallaudet for many years.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

It is true that Craig like women, however, as a topic sentence that would be too narrow. It does not fully describe what the piece is about. Answer (B) is off the point. The passage is not about whether or not Gallaudet should take in orphans, it is about one specific orphan. Answer (C) is getting closer, but it is still not an adequate response. It is a true statement, but the passage does not focus on trying to figure out who his family was and what happened to them. It focuses on Craig's life after he got to Gallaudet. Therefore, the answer is (4). The passage focuses on all of Craig's unusual characteristics, and on the fact that he worked at Gallaudet for his entire life. Hence, (4) is the answer.