Question 9 • RIDDLE-FL-1700370-Critical Thinking and Study Skills 25/26
Read the excerpt from "Like Mexicans."We had lunch: sandwiches, potato chips, and iced tea. Carolyn and her mother talked mostly about neighbors and the congregation at the Japanese Methodist Church in West Fresno. Her father, who was in khaki work clothes, excused himself with a wave that was almost a salute and went outside. I heard a truck start, a dog bark, and the truck rattle away.How does Soto build a central idea of his story in the excerpt?
Answer
A
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is strange to him, Soto supports the idea that culture causes conflict between people.
B
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is boring to him, Soto supports the idea that people from different cultures do not share interests.
C
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is familiar to him, Soto supports the idea that people from different cultures can also share a culture.
D
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is similar to him, Soto supports the idea that there are very few differences among cultures.
Explanation
The lunch, family conversation, and Carolyn’s father heading off to work are ordinary details that would feel familiar to Soto. By emphasizing these shared, everyday experiences, he suggests that people from different cultural backgrounds can have things in common. Choice C captures that idea; the excerpt does not claim that cultural differences are rare or that they cause conflict.
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