LITERARY TEXT
“The Leak,” Jacques Futrelle
Read this passage from “The Leak” by Jacques Futrelle. Then, answer the question(s).
(1) The financier drew a long breath. “I have been informed that you were a remarkable man,” he said at last slowly. “I believe it. Quinton Frazier, the banker who gave me the letter of introduction to you, told me how you once solved a remarkable mystery in which—”
(2) “Yes, yes,” interrupted the scientist shortly, “the Ralston Bank burglary—I remember.”
(3) “So I came to you to enlist your aid in something which is more inexplicable than that.... Briefly, there is a leak in my office. My plans become known to others almost by the time I have perfected them. My plans are large; I have millions at stake; and the greatest secrecy is absolutely essential. For years I have been able to preserve this secrecy; but half a dozen times in the last eight weeks my plans have become known, and I have been caught. Unless you know the Street, you can’t imagine what a tremendous disadvantage it is to have someone know your next move to the minutest detail and, knowing it, defeat you at every turn.”
(4) “No, I don’t know your world of finance, Mr. Grayson,” remarked The Thinking Machine. “Give me an instance.”
(5) “Well, take this last case,” said the financier earnestly. “Briefly, without technicalities, I had planned to unload the securities of the P., Q. & X. Railway, protecting myself through brokers, and force the outstanding stock down to a price where other brokers, acting for me, could buy far below the actual value. In this way I intended to get complete control of the stock. But my plans became known, and when I began to unload everything was snapped up by the opposition, with the result that instead of gaining control of the road I lost heavily. This same thing has happened, with variations, half a dozen times.”
(6) “I presume that is strictly honest?” inquired the scientist mildly.
(7) “Honest?” replied Grayson. “Certainly—of course.”

10. In the third paragraph, when Grayson refers to “the Street,” to what is he referring?
a.
New York’s Fifth Avenue, the fashionable street on which Grayson lives
b.
New York’s Wall Street, the center of U.S. business investment
c.
any rough urban area that has a great deal of poverty and crime
d.
the companies that make up the railway industry

"The Street" as used in this context is usually used to describe a poor ghetto-like area where all manner of crime are carried out. It is regarded as a breeding place for criminals. From the above excerpt, we can gather that professional criminals who are never easily caught and who easily get information at their fingertips are found in the Street.

"The Leak" is a detective tale by Jacques Futrelle. His lead investigator is Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen who is known as The Thinking Machine. Professor Dusen comes in to assist a businessman who is suffering the risk of his high-valued deals because of the presence of a spy in his office. His secrets seem to be exposed to the unknown spy thereby making him vulnerable.

Jacques Futrelle was an American who was very known for journalism and mystery writing. Also, he is well-known for writing detective stories. Futrelle passed away during the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

topeadeniran2 topeadeniran2 · Answer 2 · 2022-03-21T15:46:28+01:00

The context clues of Grayson referring to “the Street simply means C. An urban area that has a great deal of poverty and crime.

What are context clues?

Context clues are the hints that are given in a literary work. They are important for the readers to understand the story.

In this case, the context clues of Grayson referring to “the Street simply means an urban area that has a great deal of poverty and crime.

Learn more about context clues on:

https://brainly.com/question/24750804