Question

read the excerpt from \a genetics of justice\ by julia alvarez.

passage a:
given this mandate of silence, i was a real thorn in my mother’s side.
she had named me, her second of four daughters, after herself—so we shared the same name. of all her babies, she reports, i was the best behaved, until i learned to talk. then, i would not shut up. i always had to answer her back when i disagreed with her. childhood was rocky, but adolescence was a full-fledged war.

passage b:
unfortunately for my mother, i grew up to be a writer publishing under my maiden name.

which statement correctly analyzes how the passages work together to create a central idea?

○ alvarez describes how her good behavior was an issue, or a thorn, for her mother.
○ alvarez contrasts her mother’s insistence on silence with her own desire to tell stories.
○ alvarez explains how her mother’s desires and temperament were similar to her own.
○ alvarez traces how her childhood behavior led her to become a successful writer.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option 1: The passage focuses on the contrast between mother's silence and Alvarez's storytelling, not just Alvarez being a "thorn" (this is a detail, not the central idea connection).
• Analyze Option 2: Passage A shows mother wanted silence ("mandate of silence") and Alvarez wanted to talk/tell stories ("I would not shut up", "always had to answer her back"). Passage B shows she became a writer (someone who tells stories). So this option correctly identifies the contrast between mother’s silence and Alvarez’s desire to tell stories, and how they connect to her becoming a writer.
• Analyze Option 3: The passages show a contrast (mother silent, Alvarez talkative), not similarity in desires/temperament.
• Analyze Option 4: The passage does not trace how childhood behavior led to success; it shows the contrast between mother’s silence and her storytelling, with her becoming a writer as a result of her desire to tell stories (not a direct "trace" of childhood behavior to success).

Answer:

B. Alvarez contrasts her mother’s insistence on silence with her own desire to tell stories.