Question

Reread the following section.

But changes came in the family when I was thirteen, and I was sent to school in Jacksonville. I left Eatonville, the town of the oleanders, as Zora. When I disembarked from the river-boat at Jacksonville, she was no more. It seemed that I had suffered a sea change. I was not Zora of Orange County any more. I was now a little colored girl. I found it out in certain ways. In my heart as well as in the mirror, I became a fast brown--warranted not to rub nor run.

Question
What inference can readers make based on the details of paragraph 5?
Select one:
a. Hurston's color eclipsed other parts of her identity.
b. Hurston was discriminated against because of her color.
c. The population of Jacksonville was predominately white.
d. As a thirteen-year-old, Hurston did not like her new school.

Answer 1

Readers can infer from paragraph 5 that Hurston's race became a dominant aspect of her identity upon moving to Jacksonville, symbolizing a permanent and profound change in self-perception.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the details of paragraph 5, readers can infer that Hurston's color eclipsed other parts of her identity (a). This inference can be drawn from Hurston’s reflection on her transition from Eatonville to Jacksonville, marking a significant change in how she perceived herself and was perceived by others due to her race.

In Eatonville, an all-Black town, her race was part of a harmonious norm with a thriving Black economy and government. However, upon moving to Jacksonville, she noticed a shift in her racial self-awareness, going from being 'Zora of Orange County' to a 'little colored girl,' signaling that her racial identity had become more pronounced in the new context.

The phrases like 'a sea change' and 'warranted not to rub nor run' suggest a permanence to this racial identity that withstands external challenges. Moreover, Hurston's works have often celebrated racial pride and African-American culture. Her novels typically explored themes of self-discovery and inner strength, which aligns with the sense of transformation conveyed in paragraph 5.

Therefore answer is a. Hurston's color eclipsed other parts of her identity.