Question

at home, salva had never been hungry. his family owned many cattle; they were among the better - off families in their village of loun - arik. they ate mostly porridge made from sorghum and milk. every so often, his father went to the marketplace by bicycle and brought home bags of beans and rice. these had been grown elsewhere, because few crops could be raised in the dry semi - desert region of loun - arik.
as a special treat, his father sometimes bought mangoes. a bag of mangoes was awkward to carry, especially when the bicycle was already loaded with other goods. so he wedged the mangoes into the spokes of his bicycle wheels. when salva ran to greet him, he could see the green - skinned mangoes spinning gaily in a blur as his father pedaled.
salva would take a mango from the spokes almost before his father had dismounted. his mother would peel it for him, its juicy insides the same color as her headscarf. she would slice the flesh away from the big flat seed. salva loved the sweet slices, but his favorite part was the seed. there was always plenty of fruit that clung stubbornly to the seed. he would nibble and suck at it to get every last shred, making it last for hours.
there were no mangoes among the fishermens great stores, but sucking on his piece of sugar cane reminded salva of those happier times. he wondered if he would ever again see his father riding a bicycle with mangoes in its spokes.
from linda sue park, a long walk to water. copyright 2010 by linda sue park
look at the text in bold. how does it affect the passages meaning or tone?
it adds a bittersweet tone, since the happy memories make salva question if he will ever have this experience again.
it adds a peaceful tone, since the memories remind salva that he will likely see his father again soon.
it adds an uplifting tone, since salva gets to spend time reliving happy memories of his family.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the first option: The bold text shows Salva's happy memories of mangoes with his father, but he now wonders if he'll experience that again, creating a mix of happiness (from memories) and sadness (uncertainty), so a bittersweet tone.
2. Analyze the second option: The text has Salva wondering if he'll see his father again, not suggesting he'll likely see him soon, so this is incorrect.
3. Analyze the third option: The tone isn't just uplifting as there's the sad uncertainty of not knowing if he'll have those experiences again, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

A. It adds a bittersweet tone, since the happy memories make Salva question if he will ever have this experience again.