Question

benson, esther
25-26 hcs eng 11 q2 unit 4 literary text assessment
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the little orange way to know my mother
by amy j wan
1 during the winter, my mother always made sure there were plenty of
oranges in our house. they were among the only seasonal fruits available
during the cold months in new england. and on chinese new year there
would be red bowls filled with big fat oranges, smaller thin - skinned
tangerines, and cute little clementines.¹ in the days following, we would eat
them at every meal, trying to finish them before they spoiled. nothing
disappointed my mother more than when an orange went bad, a soft green or
white powdery spot betraying the fruit’s freshness.
2 “ay - yah,” my mother would say as she threw them away. they made a
heavy thud at the bottom of the kitchen trash can. then she would turn to us
and say, “we will eat these faster.” a pronouncement of fact more than
anything else. we would not waste them.
3 on our monthly visits to grandparents and other relatives, my mother did
much of her grocery shopping in chinatown where oranges were sold
everywhere in high pyramids on the sidewalk instead of in plastic bags like
at the supermarket near our house. bundled in her thick winter coat and
clutching her purse, she was easy to spot in the swarming crowds that
stretched through the narrow, crooked streets. from the warmth and safety of
the car, i noticed how carefully she sorted through the piles of vegetables,
towns of fruit, and bins full of ginger and garlic, tossing aside the ones that
what universal theme is expressed in the essay?
○ mothers express love through food.
○ food is an important part of life.
○ mothers behave differently from fathers.
○ relationships are the same in all cultures.

Explanation:

To determine the universal theme, we analyze each option:

• Option "Mothers express love through food": The essay shows the mother ensuring oranges (a food) are available, being careful with them, and emphasizing not wasting them, which reflects her love via food.
• Option "Food is an important part of life": This is too general; the essay focuses on the mother's actions with food (oranges) to show love, not just food's importance.
• Option "Mothers behave differently from fathers": The essay has no mention of fathers, so this is irrelevant.
• Option "Relationships are the same in all cultures": The essay is about a mother - child relationship and food, not cross - cultural relationship similarities.

So the best option is "Mothers express love through food".

Answer:

A. Mothers express love through food