Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: 1
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
In this reading comprehension item, you are asked to interpret a passage that describes the Queen Victoria statue in Cubbon Park and pick out a factual detail about who unveiled the statue. The test is not about complicated inference but about careful reading and understanding of titles and names. The passage mentions a specific person with several titles, and you must not confuse the number of titles with the number of people.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key skill is distinguishing between a person and that person's formal titles. Many historical figures, especially royalty, have long strings of names and titles. However, grammatically, the passage uses the preposition by followed by a single proper noun phrase describing one person. Even if the phrase contains several labels such as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and York, they are all attached to the same individual. Therefore, the correct answer is the number of persons, which is one.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the full phrase after the word by in the relevant sentence: by George Frederick Ernest Albert, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and York.
Step 2: Recognise that this phrase is a single long name plus titles for one specific royal person.
Step 3: Note that the sentence does not mention any additional names, conjunctions like and followed by another person, or a list of separate people.
Step 4: Conclude that only one person performed the act of unveiling the statue, even though that person held multiple titles.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can paraphrase the sentence to check understanding: In 1906, the statue was unveiled in the city by George, who was then Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and York. This rephrasing still clearly refers to one individual. If the passage meant that several people unveiled the statue together, it would mention several distinct names or say something like by George and others. Because it does not, the safest and most accurate interpretation is that a single royal dignitary unveiled it.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, 6, might tempt a student who wrongly counts names and titles as separate persons. Option C, 4, and option D, 2, also result from miscounting titles instead of people. None of these numbers correspond to the actual number of individuals clearly named in the passage. There is only one person named, however long his description is.
Common Pitfalls:
A typical mistake is to assume that every phrase after a comma represents a new person. Another pitfall is being overwhelmed by a long aristocratic name and thinking that each component might refer to somebody different. In comprehension questions, always focus on the grammatical structure of the sentence and check whether multiple separate subjects or objects are actually present before assuming a larger number.
Final Answer:
The Queen Victoria statue at Cubbon Park was unveiled by 1 person.
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