Question

read the excerpt below from today’s reading and answer the question that follows. -4-6-3-7.”
the numbers were spoken in thai over the loudspeakers positioned on tall poles throughout ban vinai. when i heard them, i was very excited, because i knew that series of numbers matched our application for relocation to the united states. it was march 1980, and we had been in thailand for more than two years.
many of us quickly came to know america as the “heavenly kingdom above the clouds where cities glittered of gold.” to get there, one had to go inside the belly of an “iron eagle.” suffering was thought to disappear in america, where a person would be provided an education and opportunities to succeed, something that i and most of my friends couldn’t comprehend.
which of the following best explains why the author chose to place quotation marks around the underlined sections of the above passage?
a) he wants to highlight the outsized expectations many hmong refugees had about coming to america.
b) these are direct quotes from hmong refugees who previously came to america.
c) these are sections where the author is speaking directly to the reader.
d) the underlined sections are descriptions of what hmong refugees could expect in america.

Explanation:

The underlined phrases represent the idealized, exaggerated beliefs that Hmong refugees held about America as a perfect, opportunity-filled place. The quotation marks emphasize that these are the specific, inflated expectations the community had, not a factual description.

Answer:

He wants to highlight the outsized expectations many Hmong refugees had about coming to America.