Question

Based only on the following passage, which one of the options can be inferred with certainty? Passage: When the congregation sang together, Apenyo would also join, though her little screams were not quite audible because of the group singing. But whenever there was a special number, trouble would begin; Apenyo would try singing along, much to the embarrassment of her mother. After two or three such mortifying Sunday evenings, the mother stopped going to church altogether until Apenyo became older and learnt to behave. At home too, Apenyo never kept quiet; she hummed or made up silly songs to sing by herself, which annoyed her mother at times but most often made her become pensive. She was by now convinced that her daughter had inherited her love of singing from her father who had died unexpectedly away from home. [Excerpt from These Hills Called Home by Temsula Ao]

• A. The mother was embarrassed about her daughter's singing at home.
• B. The mother's feelings about her daughter's singing at home were only of annoyance.
• C. The mother was not sure if Apenyo had inherited her love of singing from her father.
• D. When Apenyo hummed at home, her mother tended to become thoughtful.

Hint:

When answering inference questions, focus on what is stated explicitly or strongly implied in the passage. Words like "most often" or "convinced" provide certainty, while options using "only" or contradicting the text can be eliminated.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Analyse the church situation.
The passage states that the mother was embarrassed by Apenyo's singing in church. However, this embarrassment is not mentioned for the home situation, so option (A) is not certain. ✘

Step 2: Analyse the home situation.
At home, the mother's reaction was twofold: sometimes annoyed, but most often she became pensive (thoughtful). This disproves option (B), which claims her feelings were only annoyance. ✘

Step 3: Inheritance of singing.
The passage clearly says the mother was "by now convinced" that Apenyo inherited her love of singing from her father. Thus, she was sure — not uncertain. This eliminates option (C). ✘

Step 4: Certainty in the passage.
It is explicitly stated that when Apenyo sang at home, her mother most often became pensive (thoughtful). This directly supports option (D). ✔ \[ \boxed{\text{When Apenyo hummed at home, her mother tended to become thoughtful.}} \]