Question

questions 1 through 6 refer to the following.
(the following passage is excerpted from a commencement speech delivered by then first lady barbara bush at wellesley college in 1990.)
now i know your first choice today was alice walker - guess how i know! - known for the color purple 1 instead you got me - known for the color of my hair 2 alice walkers book has a special resonance here at wellesley, each class is known by a special color. for four years the class of 90 has worn the color purple. today you meet on severance green to say goodbye to all of that, to begin a new and very personal journey, to search for your own true colors.
in the world that awaits you, beyond the shores of lake waban, no one can say what your true colors will be but this i do know. you have a first class education from a first class school. and so you need not patently cannot, live a paint - by - numbers life. decisions are not irrevocable. choices do come back. and as you set off from wellesley, i hope that many of you will consider making three very special choices.
the first is to believe in something larger than yourself, to get involved in some of the big ideas of our time i chose literacy because i honestly believe that if more people could read, write, and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society.
the second choice you cannot make for yourselves. is your choice of a partner. and i hope that you will choose with care and thoughtfulness. there is no formula for making a marriage. but i think there are some rules you should follow. the first is: dont marry a man to reform him - that is a recipe for disaster. the second is: marry a man you like. you may get particular about his looks, but as you get to know people, you are as likely to be attracted by their minds as their looks. i know the power of love. ive seen its power to lift people from lifes darkest hour to its brightest day. ive seen husbands and wives give up careers and hobbies so that they might keep a child alive, or nurse a spouse through a long illness. ive seen love turn lifelong enemies into friends. ive seen true love turn a pair of children into a family. and we know that love is not simply the icing on lifes cake - its the very lifeblood that sustains us.
the third choice must be yours alone. whether you are talking about education, career, or service, public talking about life - and life really must have joy. it is what sustains us through the dark moments. and you know what? thats a very important job. i think. so, smile. find joy. in the second - to - last paragraph, the anecdote about the complaining husband serves primarily to
a provide an example of how women should motivate their partners to take on more childcare responsibilities
b illustrate the authors claim regarding the value of devoting oneself to ones children
c reinforce the authors recommendation that women develop friendships outside the family
d establish a contrast between the friends dedication to her family and her husbands focus on his career

Explanation:

The anecdote about the complaining husband is used to establish a contrast between the friend's dedication to her family and her husband's focus on his career. This contrast helps to highlight different aspects of family dynamics and responsibilities.

Answer:

D. establish a contrast between the friend's dedication to her family and her husband's focus on his career