Question

read the excerpt below from today’s reading and answer the question that follows.

soon i was getting ready to go to school again, this time at tank elementary in green bay. as always, i was nervous but also excited. preparing for school reminded me of what hmong elders had preached in laos, that education was important and the quickest path to wisdom.

i was especially glad that i would be going to school with other hmong kids, as it was comforting to have people like me in class. at the same time, i learned from an older hmong student that we would be around vietnamese and laotians, which i assumed meant that we were going to school with kids whose parents had caused my parents to die. i couldn’t understand how such evil people could be in america…

the author most likely includes this section in his memoir because:

• it connects to the author’s fear of attending school in america.
• it contrasts the author’s desire to gain wisdom with his previously learned prejudices.
• he wants the reader to understand how all hmong students feel in the american educational system.
• it fulfills the stereotype of the overachieving asian student.

Explanation:

The excerpt shows the author is excited about school (to gain wisdom per Hmong elders' teachings) but also holds a prejudice against Vietnamese/Laotian students due to family trauma. This creates a contrast between his educational goal and his learned biases. The other options are incorrect: the author is nervous/excited, not fearful of school; he only shares his own feelings, not all Hmong students'; there is no mention of an overachieving Asian stereotype.

Answer:

B. It contrasts the author's desire to gain wisdom with his previously learned prejudices.