Question

excerpt from a good place for maggie by ofelia dumas lachtman accident at greenston nuclear plant, no danger to community, officials say every item that headline from yesterday’s los angeles news flashed into her mind: margarita—maggie—cruz gripped the steering wheel of her vw more tightly and assured herself that she was doing the right thing. it wasn’t as if she were in danger from the greenston plant in the desert hundreds of miles away, but those headlines had been the convincing factor in her decision. yes, it was the right thing to do, and hour after hour as she drove south of los angeles, she had felt more and more competent and more secure. until now. for the last hour she had been so intent on the changing countryside that she forgot to buy gas. the gauge read empty. she drove on, dreading the moment when the motor would draw on the last drop of gasoline and give up. she was driving on a narrow country road lined with tall eucalyptus trees and nothing else. then in a clearing on the left side of the road, she saw a battered old sign with faded red letters: g-a-s. no, it wasn’t a mirage, it was there like a miracle. with a grateful sigh she turned into the run - down station, jumping over broken concrete and coming to a stop by one of two pumps. a weary - looking old man in grease - spotted overalls appeared beside her. “fill ‘er up?” “is it cheaper if i pump it myself?” it didn’t look as if he’d take a credit card and she was low on cash. “all the same here, missy,” the man called, rounding the car. “fill ‘er up?” 12 select the correct answer from the drop - down menu. how does the author develop maggie and her mother’s relationship in the excerpt? the author uses the \boxed{} to convey that maggie is unhappy being left alone so often. options: details showing maggie’s concern about the nuclear plant, discourse in maggie’s letter to her mother, description of maggie’s physical appearance, dialogue between maggie and the gas station attendant

Explanation:

The question asks how the author develops Maggie and her mother's relationship to show Maggie's unhappiness with being left alone. The only option that connects to Maggie's feelings about her mother's absence (and her resulting unhappiness) is the discussion of her letter to her mother, as it would directly reveal her thoughts and emotions toward her mother. The other options focus on unrelated elements: nuclear plant concerns, physical appearance, or a conversation with a station attendant, none of which address her relationship with her mother.

Answer:

discussion of Maggie's letter to her mother