Question

1. according to paragraph 3, which of the following selections best describes the narrator’s hometown as it compares to the rest of depression - era america?

i suppose that futile waiting was the sorrowful background music of our impoverished little community when i was young. the depression that gripped the nation was no new thing to us, for the black workers of rural maryland had always been depressed. i dont know what it was that we were waiting for; certainly not for the prosperity that was \just around the corner,\ for those were white folks words, which we never believed.
a. the people in both her hometown and the rest of america believe that things will improve.
b. the people in her hometown believe in the promise of the american dream.
c. the people in the rest of america are just starting to experience the deep poverty that the people in her town have suffered through for many years.
d. the depression is the first - time people in her hometown, and the rest of america, are finding themselves poor and unhappy.

1. what can the reader mainly infer from the following passage (paragraph 22)?

for some perverse reason, we children hated those marigolds. they interfered with the perfect ugliness of the place; they were too beautiful; they said too much that we could not understand; they did not make sense.
a. the children decide to destroy the marigolds because miss lottie has become arrogant and proud.
b. the children change their minds about destroying the marigolds.
c. the children hope that the beauty of the marigolds will bring them good luck.
d. the children hate the marigolds because they cannot understand or appreciate the flowers’ beauty.

1. what does the following passage mainly reveal about lizabeth (paragraph 34)?

suddenly i was ashamed, and i did not like being ashamed. the child in me sulked and said it was all in fun, but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack that i had led.
a. the mature part of lizabeth experiences remorse and shame.
b. lizabeth wishes that she and the neighborhood kids had gotten the chance to kill all of miss lottie’s marigolds.
c. getting older means that now lizabeth realizes what poverty her family lives in.
d. lizabeth feels more like a woman because she is bored by summer and ready to go back to school.

1. what does lizabeth most likely mean in the following passage (paragraph 7)?

for the most part, those days are ill - defined in my memory, running together and combining like a fresh watercolor painting left out in the rain. i remember squatting in the road drawing a picture in the dust, a picture which joey gleefully erased with one sweep of his dirty foot. i remember fishing for minnows in a muddy creek and watching sadly as they eluded my cupped hands, while joey laughed uproariously. and i remember that year, a strange restlessness of body and of spirit, a feeling that something old and familiar was ending, and something unknown and therefore terrifying was beginning.
a. she realizes that her days growing up poor in rural maryland are what inspired her to become a painter.
b. she is not sure if she remembers the exact details of everything that happened, but she can recall the way that she felt when she was growing up.
c. memories of the flood haunt lizabeth.
d. none of the events of the story she is about to tell about miss lottie’s marigolds are things that actually happened to her.

Explanation:

Question 1

• Analyze Option A: The passage says the narrator's community didn't believe the "prosperity just around the corner" (white folks' words), so they didn't believe things would improve, while the rest of America (white folks) might have. So A is wrong.
• Analyze Option B: The narrator's hometown people (black workers in rural Maryland) were always depressed and didn't believe in the American Dream's promise (since they didn't believe in the prosperity talk). So B is wrong.
• Analyze Option C: The passage states "The Depression that gripped the nation was no new thing to us, for the black workers of rural Maryland had always been depressed." This means the rest of America (now in Depression) is just starting to experience the deep poverty the narrator's hometown had for years. So C matches.
• Analyze Option D: The narrator's hometown was already poor, so the Depression wasn't the first time they were poor. So D is wrong.

• Analyze Option A: The passage doesn't mention Miss Lottie being arrogant or proud. The children hate marigolds for their own reasons. So A is wrong.
• Analyze Option B: The passage says children hated marigolds, no indication of changing minds about destroying them. So B is wrong.
• Analyze Option C: The passage says children hated marigolds, not that they hope for good luck from them. So C is wrong.
• Analyze Option D: The passage states "they were too beautiful; they said too much that we could not understand; they did not make sense" which shows children hate marigolds because they can't understand or appreciate their beauty. So D matches.

• Analyze Option A: The passage says "the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack that I had led" and "I was ashamed" which shows the mature (woman) part of Lizabeth feels remorse and shame. So A matches.
• Analyze Option B: The passage shows shame about the attack, not a wish to kill all marigolds. So B is wrong.
• Analyze Option C: The passage is about shame over the attack, not realizing family poverty. So C is wrong.
• Analyze Option D: The passage is about shame and remorse, not being bored by summer or ready for school. So D is wrong.

Answer:

C. The people in the rest of America are just starting to experience the deep poverty that the people in her town have suffered through for many years.

Question 2