Question

highlight key words and phrases that act as clues to the central idea.
dear diary,
the two days since i first went to central felt like i was living in some stranger’s life. today i won’t think of integration, i won’t think of central high, and i won’t think of the white people. i will spend the whole day finding the perfect disguise to wear to the wrestling matches...
no matter what, i’m gonna be a regular person. i’m gonna have my usual date with grandma and my secret, pretend date with vince at the matches.
–warriors don’t cry,
melba pattillo beals
after reading the excerpt, choose the best answer for each question.
which idea is stressed through repetition?
melba wants to spend more time with her family.
melba needs to hide vince from her family.
melba wants to forget her struggle for a day.
which sentence best restates the central idea?

Explanation:

First Question (Which idea is stressed through repetition?):

To determine the idea stressed through repetition, we analyze the text. The phrases "I won't think of integration, I won't think of Central High, and I won't think of the white people" show Melba's desire to stop thinking about her struggles (related to integration, school, and white people) for a day. The other options: "Melba wants to spend more time with her family" – the text focuses on forgetting struggles, not family time increase. "Melba needs to hide Vince from her family" – the text mentions a "pretend date" but the repetition is about not thinking of struggles, not hiding Vince. So the correct idea is Melba wanting to forget her struggle for a day.

The text's central idea is Melba's wish to stop thinking about her struggles (integration, Central High, white people) and have a normal day with her usual date and a pretend date at the wrestling matches, being a regular person. A restatement should reflect this: Melba wants to forget her struggles with integration and school for a day and have a normal day with her dates at the wrestling matches, behaving like a regular person.

Answer:

Melba wants to forget her struggle for a day.

Second Question (Which sentence best restates the central idea?):

(Note: Since the options for this are not visible, we can infer the central idea from the text. The central idea is that Melba wants to take a break from thinking about her difficult experiences (integration, Central High, white people) and have a normal day with her usual date and a pretend date at the matches, focusing on being a regular person. A restatement would capture this: Melba intends to set aside her concerns about integration and school to enjoy a normal day with her dates at the wrestling matches, acting like a regular person. If options were provided, we'd match this. But assuming the process, we identify the central idea first.)