Today’s ACT question is a new one from the passage about Mrs. Sennett. The question: how do you characterize the relationship between Mrs. Sennett and the narrator?

The narrator seems to have a lot of sympathy for Mrs. Sennett.  We read several examples of how the narrator helps her, and of how the narrator receives gifts from her in return.  The narrator shows concern for Mrs. Sennett’s well-being when she doesn’t allow her to get up, listens to her speak, and notes that her hair must have been “sadly” thin – a compassionate description.

The relationship, then, is a positive one, based on some sort of fondness between the two characters or another gentle connection.

Our options are:

• stimulating – sharing a love of eccentric adventures
• indifferent – insensitive toward each other’s needs
• considerate – favors are exchanged
• emotional – a long commitment to share their burdens

The first two are definitely wrong based on their tone – they aren’t positive and emotion-driven.

Considerate isn’t the first word that comes to my mind, but the narrator hasn’t mentioned any personal burden, so considerate must be the correct answer.  It’s also true to the passage because favors are exchanged between the narrator and Mrs. Sennett.

So, how did you do on this inference question?  Don’t get too creative!