the room. John did not follow them, but he observed every movement. When they finally seated themselves, the surrounding guests sat in the nearest chairs. This left John approximately 25 feet away. He watched in frustration while the murmured conversations around him covered the words he was straining to hear. John's father said something and Lincoln laughed. Anxiously, John leaned forward and, at that moment, Abe Lincoln happened to glance in his direction. John supposed he looked as if he were about to fall out of his seat. Lincoln smiled, reached out his hand, and motioned John across the room.
Which sentence has the same meaning as "the murmured conversations around him covered the words he was straining to hear," in the story?
1. John couldn't follow the guests' conversations because they all talked at once.
2. John couldn't hear what his father and Lincoln were saying because others were talking between them.
3. The guests were trying to keep John from hearing what his father and Lincoln said.
4. A curtain was dropped between the stage and the audience, so John missed what his father and Lincoln were saying.
1 answer
The sentence that has the same meaning as "the murmured conversations around him covered the words he was straining to hear" is:
2. John couldn't hear what his father and Lincoln were saying because others were talking between them.
This option clearly conveys that John's inability to hear the conversation was due to the surrounding noise created by others talking, which aligns with the original sentence.
