What does the contrast between how Grandad carried the toolbox and how Dev carries it suggest?

The toolbox was heavier than Dev remembered. Grandad had carried it as if it weighed nothing, swinging it from one hand while he whistled, but now it dragged at Dev's arm and bumped his knee on every step. Inside, each spanner lay in its own outline of faded felt, like a patient in a bed. The chisels were wrapped in a cloth that smelled of oil and pipe smoke, and for a moment Dev was seven again, perched on an upturned crate in the shed, handing over screws one at a time. 'Right tool, right job,' Grandad used to say. At the bottom Dev found a folded sheet of paper in careful capital letters: FOR WHEN YOU ARE READY. He did not open it. He pushed it back beneath the cloth, closed the lid and sat down on the box, listening to the quiet of a shed that no longer whistled.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. The box carries the weight of Dev's loss as well as its physical weight

  1. Step 1: Compare the two descriptions: Grandad swung it 'as if it weighed nothing', but it 'dragged at Dev's arm'.
  2. Step 2: The box is heavier for Dev in a physical sense, and the writer implies the weight of grief and responsibility too.
Answer
The box carries the weight of Dev's loss as well as its physical weight.
Why not the others: Dev is much weaker than his grandfather was at the same age: The passage gives no comparison of their ages or strength. Grandad had removed some of the tools before he died: Nothing in the passage mentions tools being removed. Dev is carrying the box a longer distance than Grandad did: No distance is mentioned for either person.

Practise more Reading Comprehension.

Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed GCSE English and Maths Resits (Grade 4) mock tests.

All Reading Comprehension questionsTake a mock test

More Reading Comprehension questions