Question

this excerpt is from the novel x by ilyasah shabazz and kekla magoon. the novel is a fictionalized account of the early life of civil rights leader malcolm x. lansing, michigan, 1940 i steady my suitcase against the backseat as the car thumps over the streetcar tracks. my eyes drift closed, but i force them open. don’t think of papa. not now. not today. not when everything’s about to be brand - new. it’s four in the morning. too early for anything, except to catch a one - way bus out of town. half an hour from now, lansing will be nothing but a blur in the rearview mirror. i can’t wait. mr. swerlin parks the car next to the bus station. i’m out like a flash, up to the ticket counter with the money i’ve saved. “boston, massachusetts,” i say. it’s fast. faster than i expect. and so easy. the clerk slaps a piece of paper in my palm: my ticket. turns out it takes less than a minute to buy a new life. which inference is best supported by the text? choose 1 answer: a the narrator doesn’t want to go to boston. b the clerk at the counter gives the narrator a bus ticket. c mr. swerlin is angry that the narrator is leaving. d the narrator has painful memories of his father.

Explanation:

The text states "Don't think of Papa. Not now. Not today. Not when everything's about to be brand - new." This implies that thinking of the father is something the narrator wants to avoid, suggesting painful memories. Option A is incorrect as the narrator is eager to leave for Boston. Option B is a stated fact, not an inference. There is no indication in the text that Mr. Swerlin is angry as in Option C.

Answer:

D. The narrator has painful memories of his father.