Question

Read this excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

In bed that night I invented a special drain that would be underneath every pillow in New York, and would connect to the reservoir. Whenever people cried themselves to sleep, the tears would all go to the same place.... And when something really terrible happened—like a nuclear bomb, or at least a biological weapons attack—an extremely loud siren would go off, telling everyone to get to Central Park to put sandbags around the reservoir.

What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
that his creativity will be eagerly embraced
that a biological weapons attack is imminent
that many people express their grief through tears
that volunteers are always willing to help in a crisis

Answer 1

that many people express their grief through tears

He imagines drains under every pillow to collect tears, which assumes people commonly cry themselves to sleep.