Question

read this excerpt from \like mexicans.\

... i ignored them and climbed the back fence to see my best friend, scott, a second-generation okie.

what is the meaning of the underlined term in this context?

someone who is from the west and whose parents are from the west
someone who is racist and whose parents who are racist
someone who is not mexican and whose parents are not mexican
someone who is fluent in english and whose parents are fluent in english

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt and underlined term

The excerpt is from Gary Soto's autobiographical essay "Like Mexicans." The sentence reads: "...I ignored them and climbed the back fence to see my best friend, Scott, a second-generation Okie." The underlined term is "second-generation Okie." We need to determine its meaning in this specific literary context using Context Clues and Reading Comprehension Strategies.

Examine the historical and literary context

In Gary Soto's "Like Mexicans," the narrator discusses growing up in a Mexican-American community and the expectations surrounding marriage and identity. His family advises him to marry a Mexican girl. When he describes his friend Scott as a "second-generation Okie," he is identifying Scott's cultural and ethnic background. "Okie" historically refers to migrants from Oklahoma (and neighboring states) who moved west, particularly to California, during the Dust Bowl era. A "second-generation Okie" refers to someone whose parents were part of this migration group.

Evaluate the answer choices

Let's evaluate the options based on the text's themes of ethnicity, heritage, and social dynamics:

• Option 1: "someone who is from the West and whose parents are from the West" — This is too broad and does not capture the specific cultural distinction being made.
• Option 2: "someone who is racist and whose parents who are racist" — This is incorrect and unsupported by the text.
• Option 3: "someone who is not Mexican and whose parents are not Mexican" — In the context of the essay, the primary distinction the narrator's family makes is between "Mexicans" and non-Mexicans (often referred to broadly in his environment as "Okies" or "gringos"). Scott represents the non-Mexican community that the narrator interacts with, contrasting with his family's expectation that he only associate with and marry Mexicans.
• Option 4: "someone who is fluent in English and whose parents are fluent in English" — This is not the primary meaning of the cultural label "Okie" in this context.

Therefore, the term is used to denote someone who is outside of the Mexican-American ethnic group, specifically meaning "someone who is not Mexican and whose parents are not Mexican."

Answer:

• someone who is from the West and whose parents are from the West
• someone who is racist and whose parents who are racist</mcq-correct>
• someone who is not Mexican and whose parents are not Mexican (Correct answer)

<mcq-option>someone who is fluent in English and whose parents are fluent in English