Question

read this excerpt from narrative of the life of frederick douglass:

my home was charmless; it was not home to me; on parting from it, i could not feel that i was leaving any thing which i could have enjoyed by staying. my mother was dead, my grandmother lived far off, so that i seldom saw her; i had two sisters and one brother, that lived in the same house with me; but the early separation of us from our mother had well nigh blotted the fact of our relationship from our memories. i looked for home elsewhere, and was confident of finding none which i should relish less than the one which i was leaving. if, however, i found in my new home hardship, hunger, whipping, and nakedness, i had the consolation that i should not have escaped any one of them by staying.

which of these statements about family relationships is true on colonel lloyds plantation?

• friendships with brothers and sisters are the only cheerful part of life on this harsh plantation.
• children are separated from parental figures, and sibling relationships are not encouraged.
• when young children seek the comforts of home, they often travel with their siblings.
• enslaved children visit their parents and grandparents on neighboring plantations when they travel.

Explanation:

Analyze the passage for family dynamics

The narrator states: "My mother was dead, my grandmother lived far off, so that I seldom saw her; I had two sisters and one brother, that lived in the same house with me; but the early separation of us from our mother had well nigh blotted the fact of our relationship from our memories." This indicates that children are separated from parental figures, and sibling relationships are not fostered or encouraged due to this early separation.

Evaluate the options against the text

• Option 1 suggests friendships with siblings are the only cheerful part of life, which contradicts the text stating relationship memories were nearly blotted out.
• Option 2 states children are separated from parental figures and sibling relationships are not encouraged, which aligns directly with the narrator's description of being separated from their mother and having their sibling relationships diminished as a result.
• Option 3 suggests young children travel with siblings to seek comfort, which is not supported by the text.
• Option 4 suggests enslaved children visit parents and grandparents on neighboring plantations, which is contradicted by the mother being dead and the grandmother living far off.

Determine the correct choice

Option 2 is the only statement directly supported by the textual evidence.

Answer:

• Friendships with brothers and sisters are the only cheerful part of life on this harsh plantation.
• Children are separated from parental figures, and sibling relationships are not encouraged. (Correct answer)
• When young children seek the comforts of home, they often travel with their siblings.
• Enslaved children visit their parents and grandparents on neighboring plantations when they travel.