what about 51 nd 53?

[v0031]

[v0031]

I choose A for 53.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

I'd say C and A.

[Smid]

53 seems more like B to me...

As for A, "For one moment he stood!"
B - he's borrowing Martin's surfboard - Martin said "You can have a go, but my surfboard is not the best one for beginners."
C - Wayne clearly said to "try to be near the white waves!"
D - "He knew it was Jennifer, a girl from his class.

51 really seems like C, as mentioned previously - he tried to sound confident and relaxed, which means he wasn't confident and relaxed, otherwise he wouldn't be trying to sound that way. He was bluffing about his confidence, therefore not A, not B, and probably not D.

[v0031]

Thank you for your explanation.

[Smid]

Thank you for your explanation.

No worries, mate. I always want to help you out, but someone else usually beats me to it.

[Donerail]

53 seems more like B to me...

As for A, "For one moment he stood!"
B - he's borrowing Martin's surfboard - Martin said "You can have a go, but my surfboard is not the best one for beginners."
C - Wayne clearly said to "try to be near the white waves!"
D - "He knew it was Jennifer, a girl from his class.

53 couldn't be B. It is true that Matt didn't have a surfboard of his own, as your quote shows. The question is finding the one that's NOT true, which would be A, saying he never succeeded in standing on the board, which he did succeed in doing, making it not true.

[v0031]

Do American students have to do such exams?

[Donerail]

Do American students have to do such exams?

Yep; I just finished the 8th grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in reading, and it's the same format. You read a passage then answer a few multiple choice questions on it. Similar ones for math and science, plus a 40-minute period where we just write then they grade that, and End of Course exams on top of that.

Most questions are just stuff like this:

Read this excerpt from the article.

The explorers had been traveling across the dry, sandy fields for days when suddenly they found themselves at the edge of a luxuriant valley.

What does the word luxuriant mean as used in the sentence above?

A. hilly
B. harsh
C. rich in plants
D. rich in luxury

Read this sentence from the passage.

Thankfully, the men dragged out sleeping bags and sodden clothes and hung them in the rigging to dry.

What does the word sodden mean as used in the sentence above?

A. bed
B. dirty
C. sailing
D. soaked

Stuff like that.

[Smid]

53 seems more like B to me...

As for A, "For one moment he stood!"
B - he's borrowing Martin's surfboard - Martin said "You can have a go, but my surfboard is not the best one for beginners."
C - Wayne clearly said to "try to be near the white waves!"
D - "He knew it was Jennifer, a girl from his class.

53 couldn't be B. It is true that Matt didn't have a surfboard of his own, as your quote shows. The question is finding the one that's NOT true, which would be A, saying he never succeeded in standing on the board, which he did succeed in doing, making it not true.

Ha! Yes! You're right - my reading comprehension of the question is sadly lacking.