Correct Answer: he favours safe use and keeps meaningful age signs
Passage Reference: I think the restorer can make it dependable without making its history invisible.
Why this is correct: Every part of Ben's message follows one plan for the restoration. Repair what makes the chair unsafe, but keep the wear that carries family meaning. That is the main point of his message.
Tips: Ben talks about the back joint, the worn arm, the scratches and the fabric. Note what he says about each one, then choose the option that fits all of them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- he believes the loose joint should stay untouched: He has asked the restorer to strengthen it.
- he has decided the chair should never be used: The repairs are meant to let Mom sit in it.
- he favours restoring looks first and use later: Ben makes safe use the immediate priority and treats appearance selectively.
Correct Answer: its weakness threatens continued safe use
Passage Reference: It will worsen if anyone leans against it
Why this is correct: Ben worries that the loose joint will get worse if anyone leans against it. Unlike surface wear, this damage could make the chair unsafe to use.
Tips: Ask what consequence follows if the damage is left alone.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Mom associates it with Grandpa's hand: That meaning belongs to the worn arm.
- the restorer says it proves the chair is old: Ben treats it as a practical problem, not valuable evidence.
- its colour no longer matches the reading room: No room colour is discussed.
Correct Answer: the repair can be strong without looking obvious
Passage Reference: where the repair will not be obvious.
Why this is correct: Hidden wood from under the seat supports the chair while limiting the visual change.
Tips: Ask why Ben chooses that exact spot for the wood. Study the whole sentence before you choose.
Why the other options are wrong:
- wood under the seat has sentimental meaning for Mom: Mom's connection is to the worn arm.
- the worn arm can stay while leg scratches are covered: Ben wants both meaningful arm wear and harmless leg scratches left visible.
- new wood would be stronger but more visible: Ben specifies hidden wood so the necessary repair is unobtrusive.
Correct Answer: Mom links that mark to Grandpa's reading habit
Passage Reference: the smooth wood is one of the first things Mom noticed when we brought the chair over.
Why this is correct: The wear carries a specific memory, so removing it would remove meaning for Mom.
Tips: Find the part about the arm. Ask why Ben wants to leave it as it is.
Why the other options are wrong:
- its colour helps them decide if fabric can stay: The fabric decision concerns uneven fading, while the arm matters because Mom connects it with Grandpa.
- its smooth surface shows careful past maintenance: The smoothness came from Grandpa repeatedly resting his hand there.
- it records the moves that made nearby scratches: The moves explain the scratches on the legs. Grandpa's reading habit explains the arm.
Correct Answer: damage is judged by meaning and effect, not kept by default
Passage Reference: A chair that collapses is not a meaningful keepsake.
Why this is correct: He rejects a simple rule that everything old must stay, because harmful damage defeats the chair's purpose.
Tips: Use the collapse example to understand the limit Ben places on preservation.
Why the other options are wrong:
- newer furniture can never become a keepsake: He makes no claim about newer furniture.
- structural damage matters only when visible: The hidden joint repair is still necessary.
- all visible wear should go if a chair is old: He wants meaningful wear to remain.
Correct Answer: whether the fabric's fading should be kept
Passage Reference: I have not decided about that part.
Why this is correct: Ben has decided the structural and surface issues but wants to inspect the cleaned fabric before judging it.
Tips: Track which choices are settled and which one is still under review.
Why the other options are wrong:
- whether Mom should receive the chair: It is already intended for her reading room.
- whether the leg scratches weaken the chair: He states that they do not.
- whether the back joint needs strengthening: He has already asked for that repair.
Correct Answer: make the chair look completely new
Passage Reference: I know you hoped she could make it look new
Why this is correct: Celia recognizes that her first standard focused on a new appearance.
Tips: Contrast Celia's old assumption with Ben's more selective principle.
Why the other options are wrong:
- keep every damaged part unchanged: That is the opposite of her original hope.
- preserve the chair's familiar look for Mom: Celia first hoped to make it look new. Keeping some of the wear is Ben's own idea.
- prevent anyone from sitting in it: Both siblings want Mom to use it.
Correct Answer: carry memories that a perfect surface would erase
Passage Reference: Covering it with new stain would improve the colour but erase the mark she connects most strongly with him.
Why this is correct: Some wear matters because it preserves a physical link to Grandpa.
Tips: Find where Ben writes about signs of age on the chair. Test each option against his words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- make the chair unsafe whenever they are visible: The surface scratches do not weaken it.
- matter only if every relative remembers them: Mom's strong connection is enough to make the arm meaningful.
- show that the restorer did poor work: The marks existed before restoration.
Correct Answer: it may stop the chair from working safely
Passage Reference: It will worsen if anyone leans against it
Why this is correct: The joint affects the chair's function, unlike stable surface marks.
Tips: Separate damage that tells a story from damage that prevents use.
Why the other options are wrong:
- it can be cleaned before any decision: Cleaning first applies to the fabric.
- its appearance bothers Celia more than Ben: The concern is structural, not a stated preference.
- it records where Grandpa placed his hand: That is the worn arm.
Correct Answer: keeping it only as a display object
Passage Reference: rather than treating it as something too fragile to touch.
Why this is correct: The repair should make the chair useful, not turn it into an untouchable exhibit.
Tips: The words rather than introduce the outcome both siblings want to avoid.
Why the other options are wrong:
- remembering Grandpa when she reads: Preserved wear may support that positive experience.
- using the strengthened back: That is part of safe sitting.
- sitting on the newly filled cushion: The new filling also supports use.
Correct Answer: is simply too uneven to keep
Passage Reference: whether its fading is too uneven to keep.
Why this is correct: They will compare any meaning in the fading with the restorer's concern about its uneven appearance.
Tips: Apply the restorer's unresolved question specifically to the fabric.
Why the other options are wrong:
- must stay because all fading records history: Ben rejects preserving every sign of age automatically.
- should be replaced before it is cleaned: The restorer recommends cleaning first.
- proves the loose joint can remain: Fabric fading does not change the structural decision.
