Question

read the excerpt from enriques journey.
today, enrique is terrified of another beating. every time someone new jumps onto his car, he tenses. fear, he realizes, helps to keep him awake, so he decides to induce it. he climbs to the top of the tank car and takes a running leap. with arms spread, as if he were flying, he jumps to one swaying boxcar, then to another. some have four- to five-foot gaps. others are nine feet apart.
how does the narrative technique of characterization support the author’s purpose in this excerpt?
○ it shows how difficult travel has been for enrique.
○ it illustrates the one thing that enrique is afraid of.
○ it explains why enrique does not want to be part of a gang.
○ it demonstrates that enrique takes drastic measures to survive.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The excerpt focuses on Enrique's actions to survive (using fear to stay awake, jumping between boxcars), not just the difficulty of travel. So this is incorrect.
• Option 2: Enrique is not just afraid of one thing; he uses fear to his advantage, and the excerpt shows more than just his fear. Incorrect.
• Option 3: There is no mention of gangs in the excerpt. Incorrect.
• Option 4: Enrique induces fear to stay awake and takes dangerous leaps between boxcars (some with large gaps) to survive. This matches the characterization of him taking drastic measures for survival.

Answer:

D. It demonstrates that Enrique takes drastic measures to survive.