Question

Read this excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

I wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be playing Scrabble yet. Or looking in the mirror. Or turning the stereo any louder than what you needed just to hear it.

What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
that his mother’s activities suggest an end to her grief
that his mother’s activities are adversely affecting her work
that his mother’s attention to the mirror suggests vanity
that his mother’s game-playing detracts from her time with him

Answer 1

that his mother’s activities suggest an end to her grief

He says “yet,” implying it’s too soon for those normal, everyday actions—he assumes they show she’s moving on or letting go of her grief.