Question

Miss Lottie’s house was the most ramshackle of all our ramshackle homes. The sun and rain had long since faded its rickety frame siding from white to a sullen gray. The boards themselves seemed to remain upright not from being nailed together but rather from leaning together, like a house that a child might have constructed from cards. A brisk wind might have blown it down, and the fact that it was still standing implied a kind of enchantment that was stronger than the elements. There it stood and as far as I know is standing yet—a gray, rotting thing with no porch, no shutters, no steps, set on a cramped lot with no grass, not even any weeds—a monument to decay.

What can best be inferred about Miss Lottie based on the description above?

Miss Lottie was a loner with no family.
Miss Lottie wished she could afford a better home.
Miss Lottie was one of the poorest people in the neighborhood.
Miss Lottie was an outcast who did not take care of her home

Answer 1

Answer: Miss Lottie was an outcast who did not take care of her home

Explanation:

The description in the text indicates that Miss Lottie had a decaying house, a "ramshackle". This means that Miss Lottie did not take care of her house and, since everything looked so badly and uninhabitable, she must have been an outcast. This type of house is specific of people who don't socialize much. However, we cannot infer that Miss Lottie has no family (we don't know that) or that she was one of the poorest people in the neighborhood. Neither that she wishes she could afford a better home. She probably just didn't care about the house and was in a bad mental state.

Answer 2

Answer:

Miss Lottie was an outcast who did not take care of her home

Explanation:

Miss Lottie’s house was the most ramshackle of all our ramshackle homes. The sun and rain had long since faded its rickety frame siding from white to a sullen gray. The boards themselves seemed to remain upright not from being nailed together but rather from leaning together, like a house that a child might have constructed from cards.