Question

directions: for the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. what is the central idea of the essay?

a. the author does not think turkey is the best part of the thanksgiving meal, but the work it took to prepare is a special memory of time spent with his mother.
b. the author tried to break the tradition of eating turkey on thanksgiving, but ultimately regretted his decision after seeing his mothers disappointment.
c. the author has come to see turkey as the most important part of the thanksgiving meal now that he has children of his own.
d. the author wishes that his family was more open - minded and took more risks while cooking their thanksgiving meal.

1. what are two reasons that the author describes the turkey as a \trussed monument to guilt\ (paragraph 2)?

a. the author feels like he is required to eat the turkey because it takes so much effort to cook.
b. the author feels like he is not able to be as thankful as the rest of his family.
c. the author regrets not spending more time with his mother in the kitchen.
d. the author regrets that he was never as good of a cook as his mother.
e. the author feels guilty about the turkey being slaughtered.
f. the author feels guilty about the meaning of thanksgiving.

1. what idea does the author present by including the list below?

they were anesthesia for the dicing and quartering and halving and grinding and shredding and peeling and smashing and lifting and stirring and tasting and washing and rinsing (and rinsing, and rinsing). (paragraph 4)
a. it explains how to prepare a turkey.
b. it emphasizes his mothers attention to detail.
c. it shows why the author wished fewer people came over to eat.
d. it describes how much effort goes into making the thanksgiving meal.

Explanation:

Question 1

To determine the central idea, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Focuses on the memory of time with mother during turkey preparation, which aligns with themes of tradition and family memories in essays about Thanksgiving.
• Option B: There's no indication the author tried to break tradition or regretted it.
• Option C: The author doesn't claim turkey is most important now; the focus is on memories, not a change in opinion about turkey's importance.
• Option D: The essay isn't about the family being unopen - minded in cooking.

We analyze each option for the phrase "trussed monument to guilt":

• Option A: The effort to cook turkey can make one feel obligated to eat it, leading to guilt. This is a valid reason.
• Option B: The phrase doesn't relate to being less thankful than family.
• Option C: Regret about not spending more time with mother in the kitchen can be a source of guilt, so this is valid.
• Option D: The phrase isn't about being a bad cook.
• Option E: The guilt here is not about the turkey being slaughtered.
• Option F: The guilt is not about the meaning of Thanksgiving.

We analyze the list in the paragraph:

• Option A: The list is not a recipe for preparing turkey; it's about the various tasks in meal preparation.
• Option B: The list is about the overall effort of meal preparation, not just the mother's attention to detail.
• Option C: The list doesn't show a desire for fewer people to eat.
• Option D: The list of various cooking tasks (dicing, quartering, etc.) emphasizes the great effort that goes into making the Thanksgiving meal.

Answer:

A. The author does not think turkey is the best part of the Thanksgiving meal, but the work it took to prepare is a special memory of time spent with his mother.

Question 2