Correct Answer: Priya took low energy as less interest in friendship
Passage Reference: If I sometimes decline the dinner, it is a limit on my energy, not a measure of how much I value our friendship.
Why this is correct: Mei writes because Priya read her refusals as a wish for distance. Her whole message separates her limited energy from her feelings about Priya.
Tips: To find why someone is writing, put the opening problem next to the final contrast.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Daniel said Mei disliked the food being served: Food is never given as a reason for declining.
- Mei thought Priya had moved dinners to another day: Priya stopped inviting her because of the refusals.
- Priya believed Mei wanted more guests at dinner: Crowds are part of what tires Mei. She did not ask for more guests.
Correct Answer: she believed a good guest must stay cheerful and late
Passage Reference: I felt I should arrive cheerful and remain until everyone left, even though you never actually asked that of me.
Why this is correct: Mei placed those expectations on herself after an already demanding week.
Tips: Distinguish what Priya requested from what Mei assumed was expected.
Why the other options are wrong:
- she assumed a quiet visit would be unwelcome: She was embarrassed to propose an alternative, but Priya had not rejected quiet visits.
- she thought an early exit would shorten every dinner: Mei feared suggesting a change, but she does not say one early departure would alter every dinner.
- she thought naming tiredness would sound critical: The pressure she describes came from her own belief that she must stay lively and late.
Correct Answer: to show her difficulty is not criticism of Priya
Passage Reference: Your dinners have always been generous and welcoming.
Why this is correct: Mei appreciates the events while explaining that their length and energy demands do not suit her every week.
Tips: Ask why a writer would add praise at this point. Read the sentences just before and after it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- to suggest Priya invites people out of obligation: She describes genuine warmth, not duty.
- to explain why dinners should become more formal: She seeks shorter, quieter contact, not extra formality.
- to prove that Mei has attended every dinner: Her recent refusals show she has not.
Correct Answer: they hid useful context and invited a wrong conclusion
Passage Reference: saying only “not this week” hid the real problem and left you to invent an explanation.
Why this is correct: Her short answers were incomplete, so Priya filled the gap incorrectly.
Tips: Ask what information the short reply failed to carry.
Why the other options are wrong:
- they showed interest in shorter visits, not walks: Mei says she should have mentioned those alternatives because her refusals did not reveal them.
- they described her energy but offered no alternative: The brief refusals did not describe her energy at all.
- they protected dinners and explained the friendship: They did not explain Mei's feelings, so Priya inferred distance.
Correct Answer: more ways to see Priya besides the full dinner
Passage Reference: I only hope we can stop treating a full evening as the only way to spend time together.
Why this is correct: She wants flexible forms of contact while leaving Priya's dinners intact.
Tips: Separate changing the friendship's options from changing the event itself.
Why the other options are wrong:
- an end to the Sunday dinners for everyone: She tells Priya to keep holding them as she likes.
- a rule that all guests must leave early: Her energy limit belongs to her, not every guest.
- an invitation only when Daniel can attend: Daniel is not part of her suggested alternatives.
Correct Answer: honest about limits and careful not to blame Priya
Passage Reference: I am not asking you to redesign them around me.
Why this is correct: The tone of Mei's message is honest and careful. She explains her own limits openly, and she takes the blame for her short refusals instead of blaming Priya.
Tips: Tone comes from how the writer speaks about herself and about the reader. Notice who Mei says caused the problem.
Why the other options are wrong:
- certain Priya alone caused the misunderstanding: Mei admits that her own short refusals hid the reason.
- angry that Priya enjoys large gatherings: Mei praises the dinners and asks Priya to continue them.
- unconcerned about the lost invitations: She writes because she misses Priya.
Correct Answer: a wish to spend less time with me
Passage Reference: you thought my recent refusals meant I wanted some distance
Why this is correct: Priya had treated declined dinners as evidence that Mei wanted less contact.
Tips: Identify the conclusion Priya drew, not the real cause.
Why the other options are wrong:
- discomfort with the food I served: Mei never criticizes the food.
- a request to invite Daniel instead: Daniel only communicated the misunderstanding.
- a change in your work schedule: Work drains Mei's energy, but the mistaken conclusion concerned the friendship.
Correct Answer: I never required you to stay until the end
Passage Reference: even though you never actually asked that of me.
Why this is correct: Priya understands that Mei's sense of duty came from an assumption, not an explicit demand from Priya.
Tips: Remember that Priya is speaking now. Find where Mei explains why the evenings felt hard, and read the whole sentence.
Why the other options are wrong:
- I asked you to entertain every guest: Priya made no such request.
- Daniel planned the evening for you: No planning role is given to Daniel.
- everyone left before I arrived: Mei imagined staying until everyone else left.
Correct Answer: hiding what would make a visit easier
Passage Reference: I should have said that I would enjoy a shorter visit or a quiet walk.
Why this is correct: Priya says Mei can share workable alternatives without threatening the existing dinner.
Tips: Silence did not actually protect the friendship.
Why the other options are wrong:
- attending every gathering when exhausted: That would ignore Mei's stated energy limit.
- asking you to cancel the dinners: Mei clearly wants them to continue.
- pretending that I dislike quiet walks: A quiet walk is one of her preferences.
Correct Answer: the pressure you linked to a full evening
Passage Reference: a crowded table and a late night can feel like one more occasion where I need to stay lively.
Why this is correct: Tea creates contact without the performance and duration Mei found tiring.
Tips: Carry the specific burden from Mei's explanation into Priya's alternative.
Why the other options are wrong:
- showing that our friendship matters: Meeting for tea would express that value.
- my continuing to host other guests: Mei wants the dinners to continue, so this is not something tea must prevent.
- having any conversation after work: Mei proposes tea and a walk, so conversation itself is welcome.
Correct Answer: does not mean rejecting the friendship
Passage Reference: it is a limit on my energy, not a measure of how much I value our friendship.
Why this is correct: Priya now separates one unsuitable format from Mei's overall wish for contact.
Tips: Do not turn a boundary about one activity into a conclusion about the whole relationship.
Why the other options are wrong:
- means the dinner itself should end: Mei encourages Priya to keep hosting it.
- requires a detailed excuse every time: The email asks for understanding, not a reporting rule.
- shows that all social contact is unwanted: Mei offers tea, walks, and another day.
