Question

a nonfiction account of hurricane katrina by dave eggers
pre - test complete
1 2 3 4
read the excerpt from part 4 of zeitoun
he and kathy worried about the reach of the department of homeland security, its willingness to contact anyone born in or with a connection to the middle east. so many of their muslim friends had been interviewed, forced to send in documents and hire lawyers. but until now zeitoun had been fortunate. he had had no experience with profiling, hadnt been suspected of anything by anyone with real authority. there were the occasional looks askance, of course, sneers from people upon hearing his accent. maybe, he thought, this was just one soldier, ignorant or cruel, wanting to stir things up.
why does the author include these details?
to illustrate zeitoun’s strong allegiance to the middle east
to explain the need for the department of homeland security
to acknowledge the reality of racial profiling and scrutiny
to suggest zeitoun’s involvement in suspicious activity

Explanation:

The excerpt describes how Zeitoun and Kathy were concerned about the Department of Homeland Security's actions toward those with Middle Eastern connections, and how many of their Muslim friends faced interviews, document requests, and needed lawyers. It also mentions Zeitoun's experience with occasional negative reactions to his accent but no formal profiling. The details highlight the reality of racial profiling (targeting based on Middle Eastern connection/ethnicity) and scrutiny faced by people like Zeitoun and his friends. Let's analyze each option:

• "to illustrate Zeitoun’s strong allegiance to the Middle East": The excerpt focuses on DHS actions and scrutiny, not Zeitoun's allegiance. Eliminate.
• "to explain the need for the Department of Homeland Security": The details show issues with DHS actions (profiling), not a need for it. Eliminate.
• "to acknowledge the reality of racial profiling and scrutiny": This matches the description of Muslim friends being interviewed, forced to send documents, hire lawyers, and Zeitoun's concerns about DHS's reach, along with his own experiences of looks and sneers (scrutiny). Correct.
• "to suggest Zeitoun’s involvement in suspicious activity": The text says he "had no experience with profiling, hadn’t been suspected of anything", so this is wrong. Eliminate.

Answer:

C. to acknowledge the reality of racial profiling and scrutiny