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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: My Garden -----by Nelson Mandela In early 1977, the authorities announced the physical labour and arranged some kind of work for us to do in the courtyard. The free time also allowed me to hunt what became two of my favorite hobbies in Robben Island---gardening and tennis. To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one's daily life. One can feel fulfilled by washing one's clothes so that they are particularly clean. Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison, one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison. Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island, I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard. For years, they refused without offering a reason. But finally they gave in, and we were able to cut out a small garden in the prison. The soil in the courtyard was dry and rocky. In order to start my garden, I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plant room to grow. The authorities supplied me with seeds. At first, I planned tomatoes and onions, because these plants did not require rich earth or constant care. The early harvests were poor, but they soon improved. I began to order books on gardening. I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers . For a time, I tried to grow peanuts, and used different soils and fertilizers, but finally I gave up. It was one of my few failures. A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. The processes of planting a seed, watching it grow, taking care of it and then harvesting it offered a simple but long-lasting satisfaction. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom. Question: When did Mandela ask the prison authorities for the permission to start a small garden? Options: A: Soon after 1997. B: Some time in early 1977. C: Almost as soon as he went to prison there. D: Long after he went to prison there.
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C

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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Throughout the centuries, various writers have contributed greatly to the literary treasure trove of books lining the shelves of today's libraries. In addition to writing interesting material, many famous writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, were larger-than-life characters with personal histories that are as interesting to read as the stories they wrote. Poe's rocky life included being driven off from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1831 and an ongoing battle with alcohol. Yet, despite heavy gambling debts, poor health, and terrible unemployment, Poe managed to produce a body of popular works, including "The Raven" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, once lived among the man-eaters in the Marquesas Islands and wrote unusual tales inspired by his years of service in the U.S. Navy. Dublin-born Oscar Wilde was noted for his charismatic personality, his outrageous lifestyle, and creating witty catchphrases such as, "Nothing succeeds like excess." D.H. Lawrence wrote shameful novels that were often cut, and Anne Rice led a double life writing bestselling horrible novels under her real name and using "A.N. Roquelaure" for the lowbrow unhealthy novels she penned on the side. Nonconformist author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau once fled to the woods and generated enough interesting material to fill his noted book Walden. Thoreau wrote on the issue of passive resistance protest in his essay "Civil Disobedience" and served time in jail for refusing tax payments in protest of the United States government's policy towards slavery. American short story writer O. Henry's color1ful life was ruined by tragic events, such as being accused and sentenced for stealing money from an Austin, Texas bank. Despite his success selling his short stories, O. Henry struggled financially and was nearly bankrupt when he died. As diverse as these famous authors' backgrounds were, they all led unconventional lives while writing great literary works that will endure throughout the... Question: The passage mainly tells us that _ . Options: A: many famous writers lived nontraditional lives B: most famous writers were usually troublemakers C: writers had to lead interesting lives to generate materials D: the biographies of famous writers are always inspirational
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A

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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Before the law sits a gatekeeper.To this gatekeeper comes a man from the country who asks to gain entry into the law.But the gatekeeper says that he cannot grant him entry at the moment.The man thinks about it and then asks if he will be allowed to come in sometime later on."It is possible," says the gatekeeper,"but not now." 1The gate to the law stands open,as always,and the gatekeeper walks to the side,so the man bends over in order to see through the gate into the inside.When the gatekeeper notices that,he laughs and says: _ The man from the country has not expected such difficulties: the law should always be accessible for everyone,he thinks,but as he now looks more closely at the gatekeeper in his fur coat,at his large pointed nose and his long,thin,black Tartar's beard,he decides that it would be better to wait until he gets permission to go inside.The gatekeeper gives him a stool and allows him to sit down at the side in front of the gate.There he sits for days and years.He makes many attempts to be let in,and he wears the gatekeeper out with his requests.The gatekeeper often interrogates him briefly,questioning him about his homeland and many other things,but they are indifferent questions,the kind great men put,and at the end he always tells him once more that he cannot let him inside yet.The man,who has equipped himself with many things for his journey,spends everything,no matter how valuable,to win over the gatekeeper.The latter takes it all but,as he does so,says,"I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything." 2 During the many years the man observes the gatekeeper almost continuously.He forgets the other gatekeepers,and this first one seems to him the only barrier for entry into the law.He curses the unlucky circumstance,in the first years thoughtlessly and out loud; later,as he grows old,he only mumbles to himself.He becomes childish and,since in the long years studying the gatekeeper he has also come to know the fleas in his fur collar,he even asks the fleas... Question: Why is the man from the country eager to have access to the law continuously? Options: A: Because he is anxious to explore the nature of law. B: Because no one can gain entry into the law except him. C: Because the gatekeeper promises him entry into the law. D: Because he knows how to take advantage of the gatekeeper.
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A