Question

we always started with the easy words i had already learned, and which i wrote down and read from the slate. the new ones i had to listen to first, putting them together as well as i could from the sounds. at the end of the lesson i had to listen to the formidable words that sounded more like trapezes in full swing. —barrio boy, ernesto galarza what does the simile at the end of the passage mean? answer by completing the sentence. galarza compares the words to trapezes in full swing to explain that he learned the first words very quickly the last words were easy for him to learn his teacher was going too slowly the harder words made no sense to him

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the simile and the context. The passage says the "formidable words" (harder words) sounded like "trapezes in full swing". Trapezes in full swing move in a way that's complex or hard to follow. Let's analyze each option:

• "he learned the first words very quickly": The simile is about the last (harder) words, not the first. Eliminate.
• "the last words were easy for him to learn": "Formidable" means difficult, so this contradicts. Eliminate.
• "his teacher was going too slowly": The simile is about the words' sense, not the teacher's speed. Eliminate.
• "the harder words made no sense to him": Trapezes in full swing are chaotic/hard to grasp, so the harder words were confusing (made no sense), matching the simile.

Answer:

the harder words made no sense to him