Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Directly Stated Character or Subject Traits

Although Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was initially rejected by several medical schools due to her gender, her classmates at Geneva Medical College eventually came to respect her singular determination. According to historical records, she possessed a quiet but impenetrable reserve that discouraged casual familiarity, yet she was described by her peers as remarkably patient in the face of their initial hostility. Rather than reacting to their sophomoric pranks with anger, she remained focused on her studies, demonstrating an unwavering self-discipline that eventually shamed her classmates into treating her as an equal. Her professor, Dr. Webster, noted that her intellect was formidable, but it was her serene composure under pressure that truly defined her presence in the lecture hall.

According to the passage, Elizabeth Blackwell’s peers and professors characterized her presence in the classroom as possessing which of the following traits?

  1. A calm and self-controlled demeanor when facing adversityAnswer
  2. B
    An aggressive and prideful determination to outperform her classmates
  3. C
    A vocal and angry rejection of the school's social environment
  4. D
    An initial tendency to play pranks on her peers before focusing on her studies

Answer

A calm and self-controlled demeanor when facing adversity
The correct answer accurately paraphrases the explicitly stated details in the passage. The author describes Blackwell as 'remarkably patient in the face of their initial hostility' and having 'serene composure under pressure,' which correspond directly to a calm and self-controlled demeanor when facing adversity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key character traits mentioned in the passage.
The text directly states Blackwell had 'impenetrable reserve,' was 'remarkably patient,' showed 'unwavering self-discipline,' and possessed 'serene composure under pressure.'
This establishes the literal details provided about Blackwell's traits to compare against the options.
2
Evaluate the choices to find a close paraphrase of the stated details.
The description of being patient in the face of hostility and maintaining serene composure under pressure is closely paraphrased as having a calm and self-controlled demeanor when facing adversity.
ACT Reading literal comprehension questions require identifying the option that represents an accurate, direct paraphrase of the explicitly stated facts.

Key Concept

Identifying explicitly stated character traits in a text
Rate this question

Topics

Identifying Directly Stated Character or Subject Traits

More questions from this topic