Question

anchor text – “and of clay are we created”
about the author – isabel allende
background on november 13, 1985, the long - dormant nevado del ruiz volcano erupted in colombia, south america. molten rock and hot gases melted the volcano’s thick ice cap and sent deadly mudslides down its slopes. more than 23,000 people died in the disaster – most of them in the town of armero. the media focused a lot of attention on one thirteen - year - old girl named omayra sanchez who was trapped in the mud. isabel allende uses these facts as the basis for this work of fiction. in her story, the trapped girl is named azucena, and the man who attempts to rescue her is journalist rolf carle.
short story – “and of clay are we created”
they discovered the girl’s head protruding from the mud pit, eyes wide open, calling soundlessly. she had a first communion name, azucena. lily. in that vast cemetery where the odor of death was already attracting vultures from far away, and where the weeping of orphans and wails of the injured filled the air, the little girl obstinately clinging to life became the symbol of the tragedy. the television cameras transmitted so often the unbearable image of the head budding like a black squash from the clay that there was no one who did not recognize her and know her name. and every time we saw her on the screen, right behind her was rolf carle, who had gone there on assignment, never suspecting that he would find a fragment of his past, lost thirty years before.

1. make an inference (guess): what is rolf’s profession? explain your reasoning.

the text says the television cameras often showed azucena, and rolf carle was always right behind her, which suggests he was there covering the event. it also states he had “gone there on assignment,” a phrase commonly

Explanation:

1. Inference about Rolf's Profession

The text states that "television cameras transmitted" the image of Azucena and Rolf Carle was "right behind her" and "had gone there on assignment". Phrases like "on assignment" and his presence with the media (television cameras) covering the disaster suggest he is a journalist (or a reporter) as journalists are sent on assignments to cover events, especially disasters, for media.

Answer:

Rolf's profession is likely a journalist (or reporter). Reasoning: The text says he "had gone there on assignment" (a phrase associated with journalists sent to cover events) and he was present with television cameras covering the disaster (Azucena's situation), indicating he was there to report on the event.