Question

in the absolutely true diary of a part - time indian, what does the author achieve by describing junior’s daily routines at reardan and the repeated efforts he makes to fit in?
read the following excerpt:
after transferring to reardan, i fell into a strict routine: wake up early, catch the long bus ride, pretend i wasn’t terrified, go from class to class acting like i didn’t mind being the only indian, and spend lunch trying to look invisible. i kept my head down, studied hard, and laughed at jokes i didn’t always understand. every day felt like a test i had to pass just to make it through the halls.
but even with all that effort, i still felt like i was floating somewhere between two worlds—never fully belonging to either one.
a) the author builds extreme tension by showing that junior’s new life at reardan is far more chaotic and unpredictable than he expected.
b) the author builds a sense of excitement by showing how quickly junior forgets his old life on the reservation.
c) the author creates the impression that each routine and effort junior makes at reardan pushes him further away from the identity he had on the reservation.
d) the author creates a sense that life on the reservation offered junior more opportunities than he has access to at reardan.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The excerpt shows a strict routine (waking up early, bus ride, class, etc.), not chaos or unpredictability. Eliminate A.
• Option B: The excerpt focuses on Junior's struggle to fit in at Reardan, not excitement about forgetting the reservation. Eliminate B.
• Option C: The routine (waking up, bus, class, acting invisible, studying, joking) and his feeling of not belonging ("floating between two worlds") suggest each effort to fit in at Reardan distances him from his reservation identity. This matches.
• Option D: The excerpt doesn't discuss reservation offering more opportunities; it's about his struggle at Reardan. Eliminate D.

Answer:

C. The author creates the impression that each routine and effort Junior makes at Reardan pushes him further away from the identity he had on the reservation.