Short Reading: Pronoun and Purpose in a Library Passage
Read this short passage and answer the questions. 'When I joined the library cleanup group last April, I thought I was doing the library a favor. I counted the books on the return cart and put them back on the shelves. After two months, I noticed something: the books I shelved most often were not the ones my friends talked about. They were travel guides, picture books, and books about raising children. I began to see who used the library when I was not there. Now I go to the cleanup group to learn about my town, not to help the library.' The passage is from a student's class presentation. She must answer two questions without using outside knowledge and has one minute to explain her answers to a partner.
1. In the sentence 'They were travel guides, picture books, and books about raising children,' what does 'They' refer to? Explain how the surrounding sentences show this.
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'They' refers to the books I shelved most often, not to 'my friends' and not to 'the ones my friends talked about.' The previous sentence contrasts two groups: 'the books I shelved most often' and 'the ones my friends talked about.' The next sentence supplies the identity of the first group. If 'they' meant friends, 'were travel guides, picture books, and books about raising children' would be illogical because those are categories of books, not people. The list itself confirms the book reference.
2. What changed in the writer's reason for joining the group? Use two details from the passage.
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At first she joined to help: she 'thought I was doing the library a favor.' Later she went 'to learn about my town, not to help the library.' The trigger was noticing that the books she shelved most often were travel guides, picture books, and child-raising books. That pattern showed her who used the library when she was absent, and her purpose changed from service to curiosity about her town. The contrast between 'doing the library a favor' and 'learn about my town' marks the change.