What does the image 'a mouth with missing teeth' suggest about the main street?
On a wet Tuesday in March, the main street of my home town looks like a mouth with missing teeth. The baker closed in January; the shoe shop has been papered over since Christmas. Only the charity shops, the vape shops and a single stubborn butcher keep their lights on. We are told this is progress: that people now buy everything online and the street has simply been outgrown. But a street is more than a place to buy things. It is where a child first sees a neighbour's face turn kind, where news is exchanged over counters, where a town learns what it is. When we lose it we lose, quietly, the habit of being a community, and no delivery van can bring that back to our doors.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. It is damaged, with gaps where businesses used to be
- Step 1: Missing teeth leave visible gaps in a mouth.
- Step 2: The closed shops leave gaps in the street, so it looks neglected and unhealthy.
Answer
It is damaged, with gaps where businesses used to be.
Why not the others: It is crowded with people who are all talking at the same time: teeth and gaps suggest absence, not crowds. It is a modern street designed to look attractive to visitors: missing teeth suggest decline, not design. It is a place where people argue about the closure of shops: the image shows appearance, not arguments.
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More Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation questions
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