My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month. What does this excerpt reveal about Nick? He is not particularly impressed by material wealth and fashionable appearances. He plans to move into another house as soon as the opportunity arises. He is wealthy enough to live in West Egg but not wealthy enough to rent a very nice place. He is desperate to become part of the elite society of West Egg and East Egg.

What this passage tells us about Nick is:

C. He is wealthy enough to live in West Egg but not wealthy enough to rent a very nice place.

Explanation:

Nick is impressionable enough to call his own house an eyesore and to think of the proximity of millionaires as "consoling". Therefore, we can eliminate option A. Option B is also wrong because there is nothing in the passage to reveal his desire to move to a different house. He likes it where he lives. Finally, option D speaks of desperation to become part of the elite, but Nick does not reveal that feeling at all. He is used to the company of wealthy people - perhaps not millionaires, but wealthy nonetheless.

We are left with option C. Nick comes from a well-off family. He does have some means, and he can afford to live in West Egg. However, he is not so rich as to rent a mansion. He takes a smaller house, one that has been overlooked, whose rent is affordable and that offers the perks of living in a great neighborhood.

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