Reading Comprehension – Question 16

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the following question. Mary Garden, a noted opera singer, earned a great deal of money during her career, but was constantly bothered by the demands of her father for money and always in large sums. Miss Garden would always give it to him, though often she would often complain that his requests seemed somewhat unreasonable. To this the stock reply was that he needed the money for a very special project. She was not going to refuse her father, was she? During the depression Miss Garden, like many others, lost her money in the stock market crash. Shortly afterward, her father died, and, much to her surprise, she was notified that he had left a large bank account in her name. He had saved for her every cent she had given him. The demands God makes on us may seem hard at times. But all the while, he is actually helping us to store up an ‘eternal bank account’ in heaven–one which may balance the scales in our favour when we least expect it. Troubles are often the instruments by which God fashions us for better things. Mary’s father made demands for __________