Question

Read this excerpt about activist Dolores Huerta. Huerta always knew that her activism demanded great personal sacrifices. "I don’t feel proud of the suffering that my kids went through,” she said. "I feel very bad and guilty about it, but by the same token, I know that they learned a lot in the process.” Even when times were tough, Huerta never backed down. One of the first strikes organized by the FWA was with rose growers. On the day of a strike, she visited their houses and found out that some of them were planning to go back to work. To prevent this, she blocked their driveways with her truck and tucked the key in her purse. Which statement best describes the author’s viewpoint?

A)Dolores Huerta was a strong activist and encouraged her supporters to be strong as well.
B)Dolores Huerta made many decisions during her activist days that she might have done differently as she grew older.
C)Dolores Huerta did not believe rose growers should be included in the farm workers’ union.
D)Dolores Huerta caved in to pressure from big organizations, such as the FWA, when times got tough.

Answer 1

The answer is the first one, A. The second answer is wrong because Dolores does not regret her actions, and C only covers one topic of the subjects that we saw in the passage. D is clearly incorrect because Dolores never gave into the FWA.

Answer 2

Answer: A) Dolores Huerta was a strong activist and encouraged her supporters to be strong as well.

This excerpt describes Dolores Huerta as a strong woman, and even when it discusses a slightly negative characteristic (the fact that she had to make big sacrifices), the excerpt is redeeming by arguing that the children also learned very valuable lessons. It also states that "even when times were tough, Huerta never backed down." Finally, the story near the end displays Huerta's resolve and her commitment to the cause.