Question

What can you infer by the use of the word
open double quote“absentlyclose double quote”
in the following​ sentence?


open double quote“She
looked down at her lap while one hand absently stroked the
other.close double quote”






A.

No one realizes she has left the room.



B.

She is in the​ room, but her thoughts are about something or someone not in the living room.



C.

She is too busy watching television to realize what is happening around her.



D.

She is bored.

Answer 1

Waiting


In the living​ room, the grandmother sat in her usual chair. She looked down at her lap while one hand absently stroked the other. The mother pressed several​ men's shirts, one after the​ other, and hung them on hangers with more than the usual thump of her iron and clanking of the hangers. Every few minutes she glanced at the wall​ clock, with a worried twitch of her eyebrows.​ Davey, the​ 10-year-old, ran into the room and turned on the television. But the mother pushed past​ him, snapped it​ off, and gritted between her​ teeth,
open double quote“You
​can't have that idiot box on
​tonight!close double quote”
He opened his mouth in​ surprise, then turned and ran out. Once​ again, the iron​ thumped, the shirt hangers clanked. To the two​ women, the hands of the clock seemed to be paralyzed.