Little Learnersplay. practice. discover.Grade 12 · Reading & language
Distinguish supported possibilities from a definite conclusion when a literary text deliberately withholds information.
6 authored questions + worked example
Mina folded the old letter. Three knocks sounded at the door. She put her hand on the latch. The story ends.
Answer: Someone may be at the door, but the passage does not reveal who or whether it opens.
The knock and Mina’s movement are stated; identity and the next action are withheld.
All 6 authored questions for this skill.
Question 1
Ari placed the small wooden token in a cloth, tied the corners and put it in the drawer. No explanation followed.
Mark exactly what is stated; when several explanations fit, preserve the uncertainty rather than inventing a resolution.
Answer: The object matters enough to keep, but why it matters is not explained.
Keeping and carefully wrapping the object support significance without establishing its history.
Question 2
For an hour Ravi watched a light far out on the water. Then it vanished. The water and sky seemed equally dark.
Mark exactly what is stated; when several explanations fit, preserve the uncertainty rather than inventing a resolution.
Answer: The light’s disappearance is stated, but its cause is left open.
The passage reports what the watcher sees, without identifying the cause.
Question 3
The friend stood in the doorway with a suitcase. “I thought I knew what to do,” she said, setting it down.
Mark exactly what is stated; when several explanations fit, preserve the uncertainty rather than inventing a resolution.
Answer: Whether the friend intends to stay or leave.
The suitcase and statement permit more than one future action; the text does not choose one.
Question 4
Under the unsteady lamp, the portrait seemed almost to smile. Perhaps, the narrator thought, it had always looked that way.
Mark exactly what is stated; when several explanations fit, preserve the uncertainty rather than inventing a resolution.
Answer: The narrator notices a possible change but cannot establish whether it is real.
Seemed and perhaps signal perception and uncertainty rather than a confirmed supernatural event.
Question 5
Mina folded the old letter. Three knocks sounded at the door. She put her hand on the latch. The story ends.
Mark exactly what is stated; when several explanations fit, preserve the uncertainty rather than inventing a resolution.
Answer: Someone may be at the door, but the passage does not reveal who or whether it opens.
The knock and Mina’s movement are stated; identity and the next action are withheld.
Question 6
Asked whether to accept the offer, Jo looked at the empty chair and paused. A train sounded beyond the window.
Mark exactly what is stated; when several explanations fit, preserve the uncertainty rather than inventing a resolution.
Answer: Jo’s pause may indicate hesitation, but the passage does not identify its cause.
The pause is observable; no thought or motive is supplied to settle its meaning.