Question

read the excerpt from theres always this year: on basketball and ascension by hanif abdurraqib.

i realize now that i dont know how or when i learned how to shoot. just that i knew i envied the children who played sports with their fathers in backyards or at parks. the fathers who adjusted fingers along the seams of a football or instructed their children which finger should touch the basketball last upon release, for the sake of good rotation. it is a foolish envy, and i am aware of this. my father worked hard at a great many things, and at the end of all that work, there wasnt a lot of time to teach a game he didnt have all that much of a connection to anymore. my envy, while well-worn, never turned into resentment.

the hoop atop our garage didnt make it two summers. when scottwood was packed, people would come over to play small-sided games, but the allure wore off. our backyard was too small, bordered by bushes and branches. and the garage itself was aging, requiring a gentleness that was not met by a basketball slamming into it repeatedly. when our pal lorenzo got tall enough to dunk on the rim, its days were numbered, sighing out-loud squeaks anytime lorenzo lingered on the rim too long. until one day it finally snapped, falling to the ground and taking lorenzo with it. we all laughed. by that point, the hoop-once a selling point for the house itself-had become an afterthought. once the fantasies of late-night shooting sessions washed away, it stood as a reminder of what it wasnt.

from hanif abdurraqib, theres always this year: on basketball and ascension. copyright 2024 by hanif abdurraqib

which word best describes the tone of the passage?

Explanation:

Analyze the author's perspective

The author looks back on his childhood, analyzing his feelings of "foolish envy" toward kids whose fathers taught them sports. He explains his father's situation with understanding rather than anger, noting that his envy "never turned into resentment." This shows a deep, thoughtful examination of his past emotions using Reading Comprehension skills.

Examine the description of the basketball hoop

The second paragraph describes the physical decline and eventual collapse of the backyard basketball hoop. The author describes the event with a mix of humor ("We all laughed") and nostalgia, calling the broken hoop "a reminder of what it wasn't." This indicates a thoughtful, analytical look back at childhood memories, which is a key element of Literary Analysis.

Evaluate the tone options

• joyful: While there is a lighthearted memory of laughing when the hoop fell, the overall passage deals with envy, a father's lack of time, and a broken hoop. The dominant tone is not joyful.
• irritated: The author explicitly states that his envy "never turned into resentment" and explains his father's hard work with understanding, ruling out irritation.
• worried: The passage discusses past events and resolved feelings; there is no anxiety or apprehension about the future.
• reflective: The author is looking back on his past, analyzing his childhood emotions, and contemplating the deeper meaning of the broken hoop. This fits the definition of a thoughtful, meditative, and reflective tone.

Answer:

• joyful
• irritated
• worried
• reflective (Correct answer)