1without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of laburnum villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. father and son were at chess; the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical chances, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.

2 "hark at the wind," said mr. white, who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late, was amiably desirous of preventing his son from seeing it.

3 "i'm listening," said the latter grimly surveying the board as he stretched out his hand. "check."

4 "i should hardly think that he's come tonight," said his father, with his hand poised over the board.

5 "mate," replied the son.

6 "that's the worst of living so far out," balled mr. white with sudden and unlooked-for violence; "of all the beastly, slushy, out of the way places to live in, this is the worst. path's a bog, and the road's a torrent. i don't know what people are thinking about. i suppose because only two houses in the road are let, they think it doesn't matter."

1. which sentence best expresses the main idea of paragraphs 1-6?
a) within the small parlor, there is a warm fire burning and a mother, father, and son.
b) while mr. white plays chess with his son, mr. white becomes unraveled emotionally by his son beating him in chess.
c) a father and his son are playing chess, but the father is preoccupied with why an expected guest of his has not yet arrived.
d) a man named mr. white is rather upset that he lives so far out in the country and his home has none of the modern conveniences.
2. the setting in paragraph 1 most likely demonstrates that
a) the time of day is most likely mid-morning.
b) mr. white’s son loves to play chess all day.
c) it most likely takes place before the 1900s one evening.
d) it most likely takes place in the mid-1980s one dark afternoon.