Question

phs: literature & compt i - block (23.0616030)
characters, conflict, and idioms in \daughter of invention\ by julia alvarez
\daughter of invention\
from how the garcia girls lost their accents
her daughters would seek her out at night when she seemed to have a moment to talk to
them, they were having trouble at school or they wanted her to persuade their father to give
them permission to go into the city or to a shopping mall or a movie—in broad daylight.
mami! laura would wave them out of her room. \the problem with you girls...\ the
problem boiled down to the fact that they wanted to become americans and their father—
and their mother, too, at first—would have none of it.
\you girls are going to drive me crazy!\ she threatened, if they kept nagging. \when i end
up in bellevue, youll be safely sorry!\
she spoke in english when she argued with them. and her english was a mishmash of
mixed-up idioms and sayings that showed she was \green behind the ears,\ as she called
it.
if her husband insisted she speak in spanish to the girls so they wouldnt forget their native
language, shed snap, \when in rome, do unto the romans.\
yoyo, the big mouth, had become the spokeswoman for her sisters, and she stood her ground
in that bedroom. \were not going to that school anymore, mami!\
\you have to.\ her eyes would widen with worry. \in this country, it is against the law not to
go to school. you want us to get thrown out?
\you want us to get killed? those kids were throwing stones today!\
\sticks and stones dont break bones,\ she chanted. yoyo could tell, though, by the look
on her face, it was as if one of those stones the kids had aimed at her daughters had hit
her. but she always pretended they were at fault. \what did you do to provoke them? it
takes two to tango, you know.\

which except from \daughter of invention\ reveals lauras dominican origin through unique
pronunciation?
\you girls are going to
drive me crazy!\ she
threatened, if they kept
nagging. \when i end up
in bellevue, youll be
safely sorry!\
\maybe not maybe, just
maybe, theres
something theyve
missed thats important.
with patience and calm,
even a burro can climb a
palm.\

emember that time we
took the car to bear
mountain, and we re-ah-
ized that we had
forgotten to pack an
openner with our pack-a-
nick?\
\ay, cuco. remember
how i showed you that
suitcase with little wheels
to carry those heavy bags
so we should not have to
when we traveled?
someone stole my idea
and made a million!\

Explanation:

To determine which excerpt does not reveal Laura’s Dominican origin through unique pronunciation, we analyze each:

• The first excerpt ("You girls...") has no distinct Dominican - influenced pronunciation.
• The second ("Maybe not..."): Phrasing like "Maybe not Maybe, just maybe" and "a burro can climb a palm" has Dominican - style speech patterns (e.g., word choice, rhythm).
• The third ("Remember that time..."): "Bear Mountain" and "we’re - ah" shows non - standard (Dominican - influenced) pronunciation.
• The fourth ("Ay, Cuca..."): "Ay, Cuca" and "little weekend suitcase" has Dominican - specific speech (e.g., "Ay" is a common Dominican exclamation, and phrasing is typical of Dominican English).

So the first excerpt (top - right) is the one without Dominican - origin - revealing pronunciation.

Answer:

The top - right excerpt ("You girls are going to drive me crazy!” she threatened, if they kept nagging. “When I end up in Bellevue, you’ll be safely sorry!”)