Question

cuba’s indians was simple in contrast: once there were tainos; now there were none. enrique suspected that his fourth - grade teacher, mr. wonder, deliberately mispronounced his name. he made \florit\ sound like some kind of tropical fungus. after a year and a half in los angeles, enrique spoke english perfectly. his mother, who’d grown up in panama and was the daughter of the country’s water commissioner, had taught enrique the little english she knew. this gave him an advantage over his father but it didn’t account for papi’s terrible trouble with the language. his father tortured each sentence, forcing english into the rapid staccato of cuban spanish. he called things he and she, instead of it, and pronounced his j’s like y’s. his vocabulary was good but his speed and pronunciation made it impossible for anyone to understand him. papi blamed his accent for stalling his career. a magician’s sleight of hand, he told enrique, was entirely dependent on his ability to focus an audience’s attention. if people couldn’t understand what he was saying—\speak english!\ some drunk invariably shouted during his performances—how could they be manipulated? papi said that magic was largely a matter of making ordinary things appear extraordinary with a touch of smoke and illusion. 19. which of the following inferences about cuba is best supported by the passage below? he overheard a woman with teased - up hair say to her table companions: ooooh, he looks just like that ricky ricardo! in california, nobody heard much about cuba except for ricky ricardo, the hijackings to havana, and, of course, el comandante himself. answer choices for the above question a. ricky ricardo is cuba’s most famous celebrity abroad. b. most californians have never heard of cuba before. c. most californians are afraid of cuba and el comandante. d. cuba is mostly understood through stereotypes in california. 20. based on the text, you can most closely infer that enrique. a. is excited to finally live in america b. feels like an outsider in his new city c. is embarrassed by his father’s career d. feels responsible for his mother’s death 21. the following passage adds to the development of the text mainly by.

Explanation:

Question 19

• Option A: The passage says Californians know of Cuba mainly through Ricky Ricardo, hijackings, and El Comandante, but not that Ricky is the "most famous" (no comparison with other Cuban celebrities). Eliminate A.
• Option B: The passage states "nobody heard much about Cuba" except for those few things, not that they "never heard of Cuba before". Eliminate B.
• Option C: There's no mention of Californians being "afraid" of Cuba or El Comandante. Eliminate C.
• Option D: Californians' knowledge of Cuba is limited to stereotypes (Ricky Ricardo, hijackings, El Comandante), so this inference is supported.

• Option A: The text doesn't show Enrique being "excited" about living in America (focus on language issues, father's struggles, etc.). Eliminate A.
• Option B: Enrique's father has trouble with English, his name is mispronounced, and cultural differences are implied (e.g., Californians' limited view of Cuba). This suggests Enrique feels like an outsider.
• Option C: No text supports Enrique being "embarrassed" by his father's career (father talks about career challenges, but Enrique's feelings about it aren't negative in that way). Eliminate C.
• Option D: There's no mention of Enrique's mother's death or his feeling responsible. Eliminate D.

Answer:

D. Cuba is mostly understood through stereotypes in California.

Question 20