Answer Key

Choose the best explanation for the following words and phrases from the reading.

You answered 0 of 5 questions correctly in this part of the test.

  1. "Raining cats and dogs" means:  [The rain was very heavy and strong.]
  2. "A loud pounding" means:  [Someone was knocking very loudly.]
  3. "I felt a knot growing in my stomach" means: [The writer felt nervous about what he would find in his office.]
  4. "I fainted" means:  [The writer was so scared that he temporarily lost consciousness and fell to the floor.]
  5. "A break-in" means:  [A crime involving forced entry to a building or home, and possibly robbery as well.]
Are the following statements about the reading correct?

You answered 0 of 5 questions correctly in this part of the test.

1.   The writer fainted just before his friends shouted "Surprise!"That is incorrect. Correct is: He fainted after that.

2.   The electricity went out at exactly the same moment that the writer found the candle.That is correct.

3.   The policeman knocked on the door after the writer lit the candle.That is correct.

4.   The storm started after the writer had finished eating.That is incorrect. Correct is: He was starting on dessert.

5.   The writer was eating dinner and watching television at the beginning of the story.That is incorrect. Correct is: He was sitting at home, watching television. He had just finished dinner.