Marguerite says the interesting compasses 'were bought by people who weren't' pointing north. What is she most likely implying?

Marguerite had kept the shop for thirty years, and in that time had learned that a customer who says 'just looking' is rarely looking at anything in particular. So when the young man with the cardboard folder lingered at the window display on Tuesday, turning over a brass compass he plainly could not afford, she did not hurry him. She dusted the shelf beside him, hummed something with no tune, and let him come to the point in his own time. 'My grandfather had one of these,' he said at last, to the compass. 'He never told me where it was meant to point.' Marguerite put down her cloth. 'They mostly point north,' she said, 'but the interesting ones were bought by people who weren't.' The young man laughed, a short surprised sound, and set the compass down as carefully as an egg.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. That people who own such objects often follow their own routes, which may suit the grandfather

  1. Step 1: She speaks gently, in answer to what the grandfather never explained. Step 2. 'People who weren't' going north are those following unusual paths. Step 3. She offers a kind interpretation of his grandfather. Answer: a kind, figurative reading. Why not the others: the other options turn a gentle remark into a statement about faulty goods or dishonesty.

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