Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
What does Mrs. Shaw imply when she says, 'One day you'll have to go to some of these houses yourself and talk to the people there'? A. She believes Mary should start learning about hosting guests then. B. She thinks Mary is ready to visit these houses independently. C. She wants Mary to develop social skills for the future. D. She hopes Mary will avoid these social interactions entirely.
C
Complete the following sentence with the correct option from the brackets. Mrs. Shaw and Mary are discussing how to _____. (have a polite conversation/ get to know people better)
have a polite conversation
Why did Mary insist on staying with her mother when the guests arrived?
Mary insisted on staying because she wanted to prove to her mother that she could handle social conversations properly. She believed she could talk well and wanted to demonstrate her ability to say the right things and make the guests like her.
Match the following character traits to the characters in the extract: A. eager B. inexperienced C. cautious - Mary, Mrs. Shaw
Mary - eager, inexperienced; Mrs. Shaw - cautious
Explanation
(i) Mrs. Shaw implies that Mary needs to develop social skills for the future. She is preparing Mary for the time when she will need to interact socially on her own, indicating that learning proper conversation is an important life skill. (ii) The discussion between Mrs. Shaw and Mary focuses on how Mary should behave and what she should say when guests arrive. Mrs. Shaw gives advice about saying the right things, being kind, and making guests feel welcome, which are all aspects of having a polite conversation. (iii) Mary's confidence in her ability to converse and her desire to show her mother that she could behave appropriately motivated her to stay. She says 'I'll show you' and claims she can do it very well, indicating her determination to prove herself. (iv) Mary is eager (wanting to stay and prove herself) and inexperienced (not knowing how to conduct polite conversation properly). Mrs. Shaw is cautious (careful about what Mary might say and concerned about making a good impression on the guests).