Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
Ashlyn Greer was on the hunt. This time in the messy back room of a vintage boutique two blocks from An Unlikely Story, the rare bookstore she'd owned and operated for nearly four years. She'd received a call from Kevin Petri, the boutique's owner, about a man from Rye who brought in several cartons of books, one of which contained hardbacks, recent bestsellers by Steel, Chamberlain, and Garret—esteemed authors, but hardly rare. The second carton offered a more eclectic mix, including several health and nutrition books, one guaranteeing a flat tummy in thirty days, another touting the benefits of a macrobiotic diet. She worked quickly, careful not to hold on to any books for too long, but it was hard not to pick up subtle vibrations as she returned them to the carton. They had belonged to someone who was sick, afraid, and worried about running out of time. It was a gift Ashlyn had since she was twelve, like a perfumer's nose-the ability to sense the echoes attached to certain inanimate objects, especially books. She didn't know how it worked. After a fight between her parents, she had pedalled to the cramped bookshop, her safe place. The owner, Frank, greeted her with a taciturn nod. He knew about her troubled home life but never mentioned it, offering her a quiet refuge instead. It was a kindness she'd never forgotten. It was there she first experienced the strange sensation of shock and sadness, when she picked up The Water-Babies.
What special gift did Ashlyn Greer have since the age of twelve, and where did she first experience it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Her gift of sensing emotions from books; at a cramped bookshop after a fight between her parents
The passage says Ashlyn had a gift since she was twelve: the ability to sense the echoes attached to certain objects, especially books. It then goes back to the day when, after a fight between her parents, she cycled to the cramped bookshop, her safe place, and says it was there she first experienced the strange sensation of shock and sadness. Both halves of the answer match these lines.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Her gift of identifying rarities from ordinary books; at home during a fight between her parents — Incorrect. Contradicted: her gift is sensing feelings, not spotting rare books, and after the fight she left home for the bookshop.
Option 2: Her penchant for reading; in the vintage boutique back room — Incorrect. Misread: a penchant is a strong liking for something. The passage speaks of a special gift, not a liking for reading, and the boutique back room is where she is working now, not where the gift first showed itself.
Example: My brother has a penchant for spicy food.
Option 4: Her ability to experience shock and sadness with a balanced mind; in her own bookstore, An Unlikely Story — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about a balanced mind (shock and sadness were the feelings she picked up from a book), and she opened her own bookstore only years later.