Question

read the excerpt from \first generation\ of dreaming in cuban, by cristina garcia.

she considers the vagaries of sports, the happenstance of el líder, a star pitcher in his youth, narrowly missing a baseball career in america. his wicked curveball attracted the major league scouts, and the washington senators were interested in signing him but changed their minds. frustrated, el líder went home, rested his pitching arm, and started a revolution in the mountains.

which best explains how garcias word choice helps establish her voice in the excerpt?

garcia uses short, forceful words to assert a pessimistic opinion on fate.
garcia uses formal, academic language and location words to suggest a theory about fate.
garcia uses american baseball terminology to suggest fates defeat.
garcia uses words with positive connotations to suggest an optimistic outlook on fate.

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt's vocabulary

The excerpt uses sophisticated, elevated vocabulary such as "vagaries," "happenstance," "wicked curveball," "scouts," and "revolution." These words are formal, academic, and precise, combined with specific location and situational markers.

Evaluate the thematic focus

The text discusses "vagaries of sports" and "happenstance of El Líder," which directly relate to the unpredictable nature of circumstances, chance, and destiny (fate).

Connect word choice to voice

The formal, academic language ("vagaries," "happenstance") combined with location-based and historical context ("America," "Washington Senators," "mountains") establishes a reflective, theoretical voice analyzing how small, random events shape a person's destiny.

Assess the given options

• Option 1 suggests "short, forceful words" and a "pessimistic opinion," which does not match the complex sentence structure and elevated vocabulary.
• Option 2 correctly identifies the use of "formal, academic language" ("vagaries," "happenstance") and "location words" ("America," "mountains") to suggest a theory about how fate operates.
• Option 3 focuses only on baseball terminology to suggest "fate's defeat," which is too narrow and inaccurate.
• Option 4 suggests "positive connotations" and an "optimistic outlook," which mischaracterizes the neutral, analytical tone regarding the unexpected turn of events.

Answer:

• Garcia uses short, forceful words to assert a pessimistic opinion on fate.
• Garcia uses formal, academic language and location words to suggest a theory about fate. (Correct answer)
• Garcia uses American baseball terminology to suggest fate's defeat.
• Garcia uses words with positive connotations to suggest an optimistic outlook on fate.