Question

read the excerpt from judith ortiz cofer’s poem el olvido
a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls,
a forgetting place where she fears you will die
of loneliness and exposure.
jesús, maría, y josé, she says,
el olvido is a dangerous thing.
which strategy would be most helpful in enhancing the reader’s comprehension of the poem?
○ skimming the lines for familiar words
○ establishing the meaning of words in english and spanish
○ breaking the lines into shorter phrases
○ rewriting each line by hand

Explanation:

The poem uses bilingual words (e.g., "El Olvido", "Jesús, María, y José") which are key to its meaning. Understanding both English and Spanish terms clarifies the poem’s themes of memory and cultural identity. Other strategies (skimming, breaking phrases, rewriting) do not address the bilingual core needed for full comprehension.

Answer:

establishing the meaning of words in English and Spanish