Question

16 “mami,” i said, “where’s papi?”
17 “¿qué?”
18 “papi. shouldn’t he be home by now?”
19 “yes, well … i’m sure he had some things to tie up at the shop.” she sighed as she wet a dishcloth and began wiping down the crumbs from the counter. “adela, it’s getting late. why don’t you go to your room and check on pinguino?”
20 abuelo went back to watching the black - and - white tv. it was a western, but the volume was so low we could still hear tía carmen’s whimpers. she was rocking back and forth now, mumuring prayers louder than before. i wished he would turn it up.
what does the word whimpers mean as it is used in paragraph 20?

• angry sounds
• impatient sounds
• soft sounds of fear or pain
• loud repeated sounds of confusion

Explanation:

In paragraph 20, the context shows Tía Carmen is distressed (rocking back and forth, after a sigh about a missing family member). "Whimpers" are soft, quiet sounds typically made when someone is upset, hurt, or in pain, which matches the context of her distress. The other options (angry, impatient, confused loud sounds) do not fit the gentle, upset tone implied here.

Answer:

soft sounds of fear or pain