Question

which excerpt from \seventh grade\ best expresses the main conflict that victor faces in the story?

they talked about recent movies, baseball, their parents, and the horrors of picking grapes in order to buy their fall clothes.
the two friends socked each other in the arm and went their ways, victor thinking, man, thats weird. michael thinks making a face makes him handsome.
after english, victor had math, his weakest subject. he sat in the back by the window, hoping he wouldnt be called on.
a river of nervous sweat ran down his palms. he felt awful. teresa sat a few desks away, no doubt thinking he was a fool.

Explanation:

Identify the main conflict

The main conflict in Gary Soto's "Seventh Grade" is Victor's internal struggle to impress his crush, Teresa, and his fear of looking foolish in front of her.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1 describes a casual conversation about summer work and clothes.
• Option 2 describes Victor's reaction to his friend Michael's scowling.
• Option 3 describes Victor's academic anxiety in math class.
• Option 4 directly captures Victor's intense anxiety, embarrassment, and worry about what Teresa thinks of him after he pretends to speak French.

Answer:

• They talked about recent movies, baseball, their parents, and the horrors of picking grapes in order to buy their fall clothes.
• The two friends socked each other in the arm and went their ways, Victor thinking, man, that's weird. Michael thinks making a face makes him handsome.
• After English, Victor had math, his weakest subject. He sat in the back by the window, hoping he wouldn't be called on.
• A river of nervous sweat ran down his palms. He felt awful. Teresa sat a few desks away, no doubt thinking he was a fool. (Correct answer)