Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of Obasan by Joy Kogawa."Who are the letters from?” I ask loudly.She does not respond. Her face is expressionless. After a while she puts down the magnifying glass."Everyone someday dies,” she says again.By repeating this so often, I suppose she is trying to make realizable what is real. Surely that is task enough for her today. But I ask once more, "Who are the letters from?”She stares steadily at the table. The greater my urgency to know, the thicker her silences have always been. No prodding will elicit clues.Her hand moves on the table like an electrocardiograph needle, delicate and unreadable. Then, with her back bent forward, she stands up and shuffles out of the room.Today is not, I repeat, reprimanding myself—today is not the day for unnecessary questions.
Answer
A
to develop a mood of carelessness, as Obasan is uninterested in the past
B
to develop a mood of calm, as Obasan is quiet and moves about slowly
C
to develop a mood of helplessness, as Nomi is frustrated with Obasan’s failure to respond to her
D
to develop a mood of anger, as Nomi needs Obasan to help her understand the letters’ contents
Explanation
Nomi urgently asks who sent the letters, but Obasan stays silent and leaves without answering. Nomi describes the silence as getting “thicker” and reprimands herself for asking, showing that she feels unable to get the information she wants. This develops a mood of helplessness, rather than anger or calm; the correct choice is “to develop a mood of helplessness, as Nomi is frustrated with Obasan’s failure to respond to her.”
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