Question

read the excerpt from black boy.

when i awakened one morning my mother told me that we were going to see a judge who would make my father support me and my brother. an hour later all three of us were sitting in a huge crowded room. i was overwhelmed by the many faces and the voices which i could not understand. high above me was a white face which my mother told me was the face of the judge. across the huge room sat my father, smiling confidently, looking at us. my mother warned me not to be fooled by my fathers friendly manner; she told me that the judge might ask me questions, and if he did i must tell him the truth. i agreed, yet i hoped that the judge would not ask me anything.

which details from the excerpt best indicates that wright was fairly young when this event takes place?

wright describes his fathers \friendly manner\ and demeanor.
wright notes being overwhelmed by faces and voices and describes the judge as being \high above.\
wright describes his mother waking him to go to court and waiting in a \huge crowded room.\
wright explains his worry about the possibility of the judge asking him questions.

Explanation:

Analyze the question prompt

The question asks which details from the excerpt of Richard Wright's Black Boy best indicate that the author/narrator was fairly young when the event took place.

Evaluate the textual evidence

Let's look at the specific descriptions in the text that reflect a child's perspective:

• "overwhelmed by the many faces and the voices which I could not understand" — This suggests a child's sensory overload and lack of comprehension of adult legal proceedings.
• "High above me was a white face which my mother told me was the face of the judge" — Describing the judge as "high above" physically emphasizes the small stature of a child looking up at an imposing adult figure, and needing his mother to identify who the judge is highlights his youth and unfamiliarity with the situation.

Assess the given options

• Option 1: "Wright describes his father's 'friendly manner' and demeanor." This does not inherently indicate Wright's young age.
• Option 2: "Wright notes being overwhelmed by faces and voices and describes the judge as being 'high above.'" This directly points to a child's physical and emotional perspective (feeling small and overwhelmed).
• Option 3: "Wright describes his mother waking him to go to court and waiting in a 'huge crowded room.'" While being woken up by a parent is common for children, adults are also woken up or wait in crowded rooms; it is less specific to childhood than the physical perspective of looking "high above."
• Option 4: "Wright explains his worry about the possibility of the judge asking him questions." People of any age can worry about being questioned by a judge.

Therefore, Option 2 provides the strongest indicators of a child's physical and psychological viewpoint, applying Literary Inference and analyzing the Narrative Perspective.

Answer:

• (A) Wright describes his father's "friendly manner" and demeanor.
• (B) Wright notes being overwhelmed by faces and voices and describes the judge as being "high above." (Correct answer)
• (C) Wright describes his mother waking him to go to court and waiting in a "huge crowded room."
• (D) Wright explains his worry about the possibility of the judge asking him questions.