We sat across from Olya as she tapped her long fingernails

rhythmically on the desk and spoke on the phone to the rep

from Willoughby, Inc. The project wasn't going as planned.

The letter from Willoughby sat next to her, unopened, with

a letter opener beside it. Every pencil on her desk was lined

up perfectly - a warning to others not to take one, or else

she would notice. She glared at us shamelessly as she

listened to the rep's reply.

Which symbol from the passage most clearly represents a need for control?

All the pencils lined up perfectly would be an example of Olya's need for control.

Answer: The right answer is the pencils on her desk lined up perfectly.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little bit on the answer, it can be added that the fact that the character of Olya had all the pencils lined up in a fautless way indicates that she might be dominating, perfectionist and methodical with herself. In addition, it indicates that she might be territorial, since, as the narrator says, this symbol was "a warning to others not to take one, or else." The symbol suggests, to conclude, that Olya wanted to have control of her surroundings and wanted others to know that.