Question

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative.

Read this excerpt from “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan.

I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.

How does this detail develop the central idea?

(a) It describes the author judging her mother based on her language.
(b) It reveals how the author currently feels about her mother.
(c) It shows how the author’s mother thought of herself.
(d) It depicts how other people thought about the author’s mother.

Answer 1

It describes the author judging her mother based on her language.

Step-by-step explanation:

I took the test

Answer 2

The answer is option A: It describes the author judging her mother based on her language.

In "Mother Tongue," the author Amy Tan expresses she used to feel embarrased by her mother's poor English. As an Chinese immigrant in America, the account states how Mrs Tan is not taken seriously. Since thoughts are expressed through language, even her own daughter Amy assumed her mother's concepts and knowledge were flawed or rudimentary, just like her English.