Question

read the excerpt from enrique’s journey.
he was five years old when his mother left him. now he is almost another person. in the window glass, he sees a battered young man, scrawny and disfigured.
it angers him, and it steels his determination to push northward.

read the excerpt from “children of the drug wars.”
children from central america have been making that journey, often without their parents, for two decades. but lately something has changed, and the predictable flow has turned into an exodus. three years ago, about 6,800 children were detained by united states immigration authorities and placed in federal custody; this year, as many as 90,000 children are expected to be picked up.

how do details from the excerpts support the author’s purpose?
○ in the first excerpt, the author uses facts and statistics, while in the second excerpt, the author uses words that appeal to readers’ emotions.
○ in the first excerpt, the author relies on third - person point of view, while in the second excerpt, the author uses first - person point of view.
○ in the first excerpt, the author uses words to persuade the reader, while in the second excerpt, the author uses language to entertain the reader.
○ in the first excerpt, the author uses narrative techniques and figurative language, while in the second excerpt, the author includes facts to persuade.

Explanation:

To determine how the excerpts support the author’s purpose, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The first excerpt (from Enrique’s Journey) uses narrative and emotional language (describing Enrique’s experience), not facts/statistics. The second excerpt (about Central American children) uses facts/statistics (e.g., 6,800 children, 90,000 expected) to inform/persuade. So this option is incorrect.
• Option 2: The first excerpt is in third - person (describing Enrique’s story from an outside perspective), and the second excerpt is also in third - person (presenting data about children). So this option is incorrect.
• Option 3: The first excerpt aims to engage the reader emotionally (e.g., describing Enrique’s difficult situation) to inform or persuade, not just to persuade. The second excerpt provides factual information (data about child migration) to inform or persuade, not to entertain. So this option is incorrect.
• Option 4: The first excerpt (from Enrique’s Journey) uses narrative techniques (telling Enrique’s story) and figurative language (e.g., “it angers him, and it steels his determination”) to engage the reader emotionally. The second excerpt (about Central American children) includes facts (e.g., numbers of children detained, expected to be picked up) to persuade the reader about the seriousness of the child migration issue. This option accurately describes the differences in how the two excerpts support the author’s purpose.

Answer:

The correct option is: In the first excerpt, the author uses narrative techniques and figurative language, while in the second excerpt, the author includes facts to persuade.