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Lesson 3
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ARCO
■ SAT II Subject Tests
22. The correct answer is (E). The author begins by describing the priest’s view of nature: everything
has a purpose. Then, in the final sentence of that paragraph, the author says that it never occurred to
the priest to think otherwise. Thus, this cannot be an idea held by the priest. Rather, it is a thought of
the author inserted to emphasize by contrast the simplicity of the priest’s view.
23. The correct answer is (C). An important feature of the story is the shift in the priest’s attitude from
absolute certainty about the tidy structure of the world, to the worry that things are not quite so clear,
to the realization that his interpretation of the world was wrong. Initially, the priest believes that the
dark is for sleeping only, but by the end of the story he realizes that the night is intended also for
making love. The word ashamed is strongly suggestive of the priest’s discomfort. He can only appre-
ciate the validity of the lovers’ union because he himself has sexual feelings, but he is forbidden by
his vows to enter into such a union. Also, the discussion of the priest’s attitude toward nuns in the
second paragraph hints that such a shift in attitude is possible.
24. The correct answer is (B). In the first paragraph, we learn that the priest believes that the night is
for sleeping—not for taking moonlight strolls. In the third paragraph, we are told that he has learned
that the niece has a lover and that he is angry. Thus, we can infer that the priest changes his routine on
account of the news about his niece. The best explanation for this change in behavior is that he intends
to confront the niece and her lover.
25. The correct answer is (A).  The first paragraph describes how firmly the priest believes that every-
thing in nature has its purpose. There is a tight fit between the “why” and the “because.” According to
the priest, the answer to the question “Why are there women?” is “Because God wants to test men
with their sexuality.” An exception to this rule would be a woman devoid of this sexuality, for
example, a nun who had taken a vow of chastity. Notice also in the second paragraph the ambivalence
of the priest toward human sexuality, for he treats the nuns harshly because of what he imagines to be
his own weakness.