Read the passage carefully:
The office was situated in the lower part of the city, where the roar of the elevated train was a constant, rhythmic iron heartbeat. Mr. Finch sat at his desk, a heavy oak barrier between himself and the clerks who labored in the outer room. He held the letter from his sister in his hand, its pages smelling faintly of lavender and damp earth, a sudden intrusion of the countryside into the dusty scent of ledger books and dry ink. For thirty years, Finch had measured his life in neat columns of figures, believing that security lay in the rigid avoidance of surprise. Yet, as he looked out the grime-filmed window at the narrow strip of sky above the alley, he felt a strange, unsettling impulse to leave the books unbalanced. His sister’s invitation was simple: come home. But to Finch, home was a landscape he had spent a lifetime forgetting, a place where emotions were as unpredictable as the weather. He folded the letter carefully, placing it in the drawer beside his gold pocket watch. The watch ticked with reassuring precision, reminding him of the time, the train schedule, and the ledger waiting for his signature.
A student is writing an essay analyzing how the setting reflects Mr. Finch’s internal conflict. Which of the following statements represents the most effective thesis statement for this essay?
- AThe passage begins with Mr. Finch sitting at his desk holding a letter, and it ends with him placing the letter in a drawer next to his pocket watch.
- BMr. Finch works in a dusty office in the city, but he receives a letter from his sister asking him to come home to the countryside.
- The contrast between the rigid, mechanical office environment and the sensory details of the sister’s letter reflects Mr. Finch’s struggle between his desire for security and his longing for emotional connection.Cevap
- DThe author of the passage hates city life and uses Mr. Finch's dusty city office to argue that everyone should move back to the country.
- EThe ticking pocket watch symbolizes Mr. Finch’s deep anger toward his sister and his complete rejection of his family's history.