TOEIC : Making inferences based on the passage
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Example Question #11 : Inferences
One fine day in winter some Ants were busy drying their store of corn, which had got rather damp during a long spell of rain. Presently up came a Grasshopper and begged them to spare her a few grains, "For," she said, "I'm simply starving." The Ants stopped work for a moment, though this was against their principles. "May we ask," said they, "what you were doing with yourself all last summer? Why didn't you collect a store of food for the winter?" "The fact is," replied the Grasshopper, "I was so busy singing that I hadn't the time." "If you spent the summer singing," replied the Ants, "you can't do better than spend the winter dancing." And they chuckled and went on with their work.
Adapted from Aesop's Fables, translated by V.S. Vernon Jones (1912)
Based on the passage, which of the following activities would the ants recommend?
Enjoying the summer weather by taking long vacations
Saving some money each year for retirement
Asking for help when you need it
Putting off difficult homework assignments until later
Saving some money each year for retirement
The correct answer is "saving some money each year for retirement." Based on the events in the story, the message of the ants is that you must delay pleasure and work hard in order to have security in the future. Of the choices, one of them is irresponsible (Putting off difficult homework assignments until later), one is frivolous (Enjoying the summer weather by taking long vacations) and one goes against the ants' message of personal responsibility ("Asking for help when you need it"). Based on the words and actions of the ants, we can infer that instead of spending their money, they would save some for retirement and have it when they needed it.
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