Question

read the excerpt from notes of a native son.

in that year i had had time to become aware of the meaning of all my fathers bitter warnings, had discovered the secret of his proudly pursed lips and rigid carriage: i had discovered the weight of white people in the world. i saw that this had been for my ancestors and now would be for me an awful thing to live with and that the bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me.

which best explains this excerpt’s role in the problem - and - solution structure of the passage?

the excerpt sets up the overarching problem addressed by the passage.
the excerpt presents the solution to the overarching problem in the passage.
the excerpt sets up a secondary problem addressed by the passage.
the excerpt presents the solution to a secondary problem in the passage.

Explanation:

To determine the excerpt's role in the problem - and - solution structure, we analyze the content. The excerpt describes the discovery of the “weight of white people in the world” and how this is an “awful thing to live with” and related to the father's death and potential danger to the narrator. This is presenting the main (overarching) problem of prejudice and its effects that the passage will address. It is not a solution (so options with “presents the solution” are out) and it's the main problem, not a secondary one (so the “secondary problem” option is out).

Answer:

The excerpt sets up the overarching problem addressed by the passage.