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Difficulty: MediumNarrative Plot and Sequencing

Read the following excerpt from a narrative:

Carlos taped the last cardboard box and set it by the attic door. The afternoon heat was thick, smelling of old paper and dry pine. Suddenly, the deep tolling of the Santa María cathedral bells filled the room, reverberating through the floorboards. Instantly, the dust motes seemed to freeze, and Carlos was ten years old again, running through the crowded, banner-lined streets during the festival of August. He remembered the panic of losing his sister's silver medal in the plaza, and how she had quietly handed it back to him at dinner, saying nothing to their parents. As the final echo of the bells faded, Carlos smiled, looked down at his feet, and reached for the loose floorboard near the chimney where they used to hide their secrets.

Based on the sequence of events described in the passage, which of the following events occurred first chronologically?

  1. A
    Carlos tapes the last cardboard box.
  2. B
    The Santa María cathedral bells begin to toll.
  3. Carlos's sister hands the silver medal back to him.Answer
  4. D
    Carlos reaches for the loose floorboard near the chimney.

Answer

The event where Carlos's sister hands the silver medal back to him occurred first chronologically.
The correct option is the one stating that Carlos's sister hands the silver medal back to him. This event takes place during a flashback to Carlos's childhood (thirty years in the past), which precedes all the events that occur in the present-day attic setting.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Distinguish between the two narrative timelines presented in the passage.
The narrative contains a present-day timeline (Carlos packing the attic) and a past timeline (Carlos's childhood memory of the festival).
Understanding the timeline structure is necessary to separate the order of narration from the actual chronological order of events.
2
Locate the events from the options on these two timelines.
Taping the box, the bells tolling, and reaching for the floorboard all occur in the present day. The sister returning the medal occurs in the childhood flashback.
This categorizes the events by their relative time periods.
3
Compare the relative order of the events to determine which happened first.
Since the childhood flashback occurred thirty years before the present day, the sister returning the medal is the earliest chronological event.
This identifies the correct chronological sequence.

Key Concept

Narrative chronology refers to the actual chronological sequence of events in a plot, which often differs from the narration order (the order in which the author chooses to tell the story, using devices like flashbacks).
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Narrative Plot and Sequencing

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