Question

emmett till was born in chicago, illinois on july 25, 1941. his mother, mamie, had moved to chicago from mississippi at the age of two. louis till, emmett’s father, served in world war ii and died overseas. among the possessions sent back to mamie was a ring with the initials l.t. engraved on it. emmett till was a happy child who helped his single mother around the house. despite a battle with polio at age five that left him with a stutter, till loved to crack jokes and make people laugh. in 1955, when till was 14, his great uncle, moses wright, visited him and mamie in chicago. when it was time for wright to leave, till begged his mother to let him go back to mississippi with him. mamie reluctantly agreed and warned emmett that the south was very different from chicago. she explained that the south was segregated and that young black boys had to be careful and on their best behavior. the day before emmett left, mamie gave him his father’s ring. the next day at the train station was the last time mamie saw her son alive.

why was mamie till reluctant to let emmett go to mississippi with his great uncle?
choose one option
a she needed emmett to stay and work around the house.
b she didn’t trust emmett’s great uncle to take care of him.
c the south was a dangerous place for young black boys.
d emmett was still receiving treatment for polio.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The text says Emmett helped around the house but doesn't state Mamie needed him to stay for that reason to be reluctant. Eliminate A.
• Option B: There's no mention of Mamie not trusting the great uncle. Eliminate B.
• Option C: Mamie warned Emmett the South was segregated and young Black boys had to be careful, implying it was dangerous. This matches.
• Option D: The text says he had polio at age five but doesn't mention ongoing treatment. Eliminate D.

Answer:

C. The South was a dangerous place for young Black boys.