Question

Read the following excerpt from “The Scarlet Ibis” by William Hurst and answer the question that follows.

It was I who renamed him. When he crawled, he crawled backward, as if he were in reverse and couldn’t change gears. If you called him, he’d turn around as if he were going in the other direction, then he’d back right up to you to be picked up. Crawling backward made him look like a doodlebug, so I began to call him Doodle, and in time even Mama and Daddy thought it was a better name than William Armstrong. . . . Renaming my brother was perhaps the kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much for someone called Doodle.

Now, study the graphic organizer:

What do you think the student who made this graphic organizer would infer about the characters based on the content of the organizer?
A.Renaming Doodle was certainly not the kindest thing Brother ever did for him. Brother should have renamed him “Buggy,” which would not have been as demeaning.
B.Renaming Doodle was the kindest thing Brother ever did for him because Doodle was not normal, and it is better for kids to learn early what life is like.
C.Renaming Doodle was certainly not the kindest thing Brother ever did for him. Brother (and Mama and Daddy) limited Doodle by giving him such a belittling name.
D.Renaming Doodle was the kindest thing Brother ever did for him because Doodle liked the name and was proud to be called Doodle instead of William Armstrong.




Please select the best answer from the choices provided

A
B
C
D

Answer 1

I'm thinking D.  (I may be wrong). 

Answer 2

Answer: C. Renaming Doodle was certainly not the kindest thing Brother ever did for him. Brother (and Mama and Daddy) limited Doodle by giving him such a belittling name.

It is likely that someone who looks at this excerpt, and any organizer based on it, will conclude that renaming Doodle was not actually a kind act. His brother tells us that no one who hears the name Doodle would expect much from him. Therefore, the name carries a demeaning connotation because it reflects how little the family expects from the child. Moreover, by giving him that name, they are limiting him as they know that people will unfairly judge the child's abilities.