Question

MR. GIBSON: What a beauty! The neighbors will be lining up for rides.

9 [His neighbor Cal Martin enters from right.]

10 CAL: Say, is that yours, Mr. G?

11 MR. GIBSON: Sure is, Cal. Pretty, ain’t she?

12 CAL: Not a spot on her.

13 MR. GIBSON: Well, there shouldn’t be! Just drove her home last night. Brand new!

14 CAL: Did you have to take that hill by Miller’s Grocery backwards?

15 MR. GIBSON: [Disconcerted.] Eh—what?

16 CAL: I always do. It’s that, or push.17 [Birdie Taylor enters from left.]

18 BIRDIE: Cal, won’t you ever be tired of looking at cars?

19 CAL: Not likely. [He stands up quickly and tips his hat.] Morning, Birdie.

20 BIRDIE: Morning, Cal. Mr. Gibson.

21 MR. GIBSON: Miss Taylor.

22 BIRDIE: I don’t see what all the fuss is about.

23 MR. GIBSON: This machine can travel thirty miles in one hour. Thirty!

24 CAL: Forty if you step on the gas.

25 MR. GIBSON: Forty’s too fast for anyone, Cal. Nobody’s reflexes are fast enough.

26 CAL: Mine aren’t so bad.

27 MR. GIBSON: Still, thirty’s not too shabby. One mile in two minutes! That’s the fuss, Miss Taylor. Think of the time we can save! This machine is going to change the way all of us get around. Well, not all of us at first, of course.

28 BIRDIE: [Pressing on a seat cushion.] I see they haven’t improved the padding.

29 MR. GIBSON: Improved? It’s brand new.

30 BIRDIE: You’ll get an awful jostling over twenty-five miles per hour.32 BIRDIE: Cal lets me take the wheel on back roads. I think I’m a better driver than he is.

33 MR. GIBSON: Cal! You don’t mean . . .?

34 CAL: I’ve got a flivver1 just like yours, Mr. G.

35 MR. GIBSON: Well, that’s interesting. Did your father buy it for you?

36 CAL: Bought it myself, out of my wages from clerking last summer.

37 [Lizzie Banks enters pushing a baby carriage.]

38 MR. GIBSON: Morning, Lizzie. Notice anything different?

39 LIZZIE: Your azaleas are blooming already! Mine haven’t even begun to bud.

40 CAL: He meant the car.

41 LIZZIE: Is it new?

42 MR. GIBSON: Brand new.

43 LIZZIE: Didn’t you have one before?
43 LIZZIE: Didn’t you have one before?

44 MR. GIBSON: No.

45 LIZZIE: Oh. It just seems as though everyone has one now.

46 MR. GIBSON: Everyone?

47 LIZZIE: Mr. Paul up the street, the Hofners, Mr. Dopyera. Everyone keeps calling me Tin Lizzie now. I’m thinking of changing my name. Clarence is the worst of all, since we bought ours.

48 MR. GIBSON: You have a Model T?

49 LIZZIE: Clarence thought we’d better, since we have so many more errands now, with the baby.

50 MR. GIBSON: Do you drive it?

51 LIZZIE: Sometimes.52 BIRDIE: Ha! You see?

53 MR. GIBSON: I—I never thought I’d be sharing the road with women.

54 CAL: Sounds to me like you’ll be sharing it with just about everyone, Mr. G.
_______________In Passage 2, what can readers infer about Mr. Gibson?
A. He believes Model Ts were designed for men.
B. He suspects women cannot afford to buy cars.
C. He doesn't believe women can appreciate the beauty of a car.
D. He does not approve of women driving.
Part B

Which quotation from Passage 2 helps develop this idea?
A. "Well, not all of us at first, of course." (paragraph 27)
B. "Improved? It's brand new." (paragraph 29)
C. "Surely you're not driving, Birdie. A young woman should—" (paragraph 31)
D. "Well, that's interesting. Did your father buy it for you?" (paragraph 35)

Answer 1

Part A: D — He does not approve of women driving.
Part B: C — "Surely you're not driving, Birdie. A young woman should—"

Explanation: Mr. Gibson’s surprised remark about “sharing the road with women” and the quoted line (C) both show he thinks driving is inappropriate for young women.