Final answer:
Clotilde Armenta doesn't act on the news of the twins' plans to kill Santiago Nasar in Gabriel García Márquez's novel because she is afraid of getting involved, reflecting a theme of passive complicity within the community (option b).
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question about why Clotilde Armenta doesn't act on the news of the twins' plans from Gabriel García Márquez's novel is related to the thematic complexity of the narrative and revolves around the character's motivations and the context within the novel. In essence, her inaction is a commentary on the fatalism and inevitability that pervade the story.
Clotilde Armenta, the proprietress of the milk shop, does not warn Santiago Nasar about the Vicario brothers' plan to kill him even though she learns about it because she either doesn't believe the twins are serious or fears the backlash of intervening in what the town sees as an act of honor restoration. In this context, the correct answer to the question would be that she is afraid of getting involved (option b), as the novel suggests that the townspeople's passive complicity is part of the larger social critique.
Regarding Twyla and Roberta from Toni Morrison's 'Recitatif', the complexities of their relationship, involving racial tensions and social dynamics, create a gap that grows over time. Their friendship formed in childhood does not endure into adulthood, reflecting common themes of change, growth, and the diverging paths people take in their lives.
The quoted texts provided in the rest of the student's question do not pertain to the characters Clotilde Armenta, Twyla, or Roberta, hence do not contribute to the answer.