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Difficulty: MediumDrawing Inferences and Deductions from Unseen Passages

Read the unseen passage below carefully:

"The quartermaster locked the iron grating of the armory, carefully slipping the brass key into his inner doublet rather than hanging it on the customary wall hook. He cast a lingering glance at the young sentry standing by the courtyard gate, shook his head silently, and extinguished the main lantern, leaving only the faint perimeter lamp burning."

Based on the passage above, what can be inferred about the quartermaster's attitude toward the sentry?

  1. He lacks confidence in the sentry's vigilance to safeguard the armory key.Answer
  2. B
    He is quietly preparing the sentry to take over the armory key responsibilities later.
  3. C
    He is adhering to a standard military protocol for securing keys during night shifts.
  4. D
    He believes the sentry has mislaid the armory's secondary set of keys.

Answer

The quartermaster lacks confidence in the sentry's vigilance to safeguard the armory key.
The passage highlights a deliberate deviation from custom: the quartermaster hides the key in his inner clothing rather than hanging it on the open wall hook. Combined with his gesture of looking at the sentry and shaking his head, the reader can logically infer that he doubts the sentry's ability or alertness to protect the armory.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the quartermaster's actions regarding the key.
He hides the brass key in his inner doublet instead of leaving it on the customary wall hook where keys are normally stored.
Deviating from an established routine indicates deliberate caution.
2
Analyze the interaction between the quartermaster and the sentry.
He looks at the young sentry, shakes his head silently, and leaves minimal light on.
Shaking the head while looking at the guard signals disapproval or lack of trust in the guard's alertness.
3
Synthesize the contextual clues to draw a deduction.
Combining the hidden key action with the disapproving gesture reveals the quartermaster does not trust the sentry to keep watch over an accessible key.
Deductions in unseen passages must rely strictly on implicit textual evidence.

Key Concept

Drawing Inferences from Unseen Narrative Prose
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Topics

Drawing Inferences and Deductions from Unseen Passages

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