Question

Read the excerpts from The Namesake.

Excerpt 1: He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn’t know. Who doesn’t know him. His parents tell him that they each have two names, too, as do all their Bengali friends in America, and all their relatives in Calcutta. It’s a part of growing up, they tell him, part of being a Bengali.
Excerpt 2: It is nothing like the schooling Gogol’s parents have known, fountain pens and polished black shoes and notebooks and good names and sir or madam at a tender age. Here the only official ritual is pledging allegiance first thing in the morning to the American flag.

Which statement best tells how the conflict in the first excerpt is similar to the conflict in the second excerpt?
A. Gogol’s experience of growing up in an American culture conflicts with his parents’ experience of growing up in India.
B. Gogol’s desire to have two names like his parents conflicts with his parents’ desire for him to adopt American customs.
C. Gogol’s fear of attending American school conflicts with his parents’ excitement about the new experiences he will have.
D. Gogol’s wish to return to India where his relatives live conflicts with his parents’ wishes to start a new life in America.

Answer 1

A. Gogol’s experience of growing up in an American culture conflicts with his parents’ experience of growing up in India.

edge 2021

Answer 2

A. Gogol’s experience of growing up in an American culture conflicts with his parents’ experience of growing up in India.

Step-by-step explanation:

In excerpt 1, we can see that Gogol is confused by the second, americanized name that he has been given, "Nikhil". This is related to his experience of growing up in an American culture that he still does not fully understand.

In excerpt 2, it is explained that his parents were educated in much different schools. His parents are surprised about many things of the American School system, like the high quality school supplies, or the fact that the students have to recite the pledge to allegiance every morning.

In conclusion, both Gogol and his parents share the feeling of confusion that is caused by the differences between Bengali culture and American culture.