Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.”My friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head.Which best states how the structures of both excerpts engage the reader?
Answer
A
They employ statistical evidence.
B
They employ figurative language.
C
They employ supporting quotes.
D
They employ an authoritative tone.
Explanation
Both excerpts use figurative language to make their ideas vivid and engaging. In the first, taking “the tortillas out of” poetry is a metaphor for removing the writer’s language and cultural identity, which the speaker says takes the poetry’s soul away. In the second, the trees’ branches “dangling” over the young man create a vivid image that underscores his loneliness and longing for heritage. Neither excerpt relies on statistics, supporting quotations, or an authoritative tone.
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