Question

read the excerpt from the land.

now, my sister was a beautiful girl and i knew even mitchell had eyes for her. but cassie was not only beautiful, she was tough, smart, and just a bit cocky. she was six years older than i was and pretty much like a mother hen when it came to me; i knew shed take my part. \cassie, you know bout mitchell?\ i asked her.

\course i know about mitchell,\ she answered. \whyre you letting him beat up on you?\

\im not letting him!\ i exclaimed in outrage. \you thinking im liking him beating up on me?\

\well, if youre not, youd better make him stop.\

\well, im trying.\

\well, youd better try harder.\

based on pauls description of cassie, what is the most likely reason she tells him to handle mitchell himself?

she wants him to learn to behave like someone older like she is.
she wants him to grow to be smart and tough like she is.
she wants him to be a mother hen to mitchell like she is to him.
she wants him to become just a bit arrogant, like she is.

Explanation:

Analyze Paul's description of Cassie

In the excerpt from The Land Novel Analysis, Paul describes his sister Cassie as "beautiful," "tough, smart, and just a bit cocky." He also notes that she is six years older and acts "like a mother hen" toward him, meaning she is protective and wants to look out for him. This Characterization establishes Cassie as a strong, capable, and protective older sister who values resilience.

Analyze the dialogue between Paul and Cassie

Through Dialogue Analysis, we examine their conversation about Mitchell. Cassie asks, "Why're you letting him beat up on you?" and tells Paul, "Well, if you're not, you'd better make him stop." When Paul says he is trying, she responds, "Well, you'd better try harder." This interaction shows Cassie pushing Paul to stand up for himself rather than relying on others to fight his battles.

Connect description to motivation

Cassie is described as "tough" and "smart." By telling Paul to make Mitchell stop and to "try harder" to handle the situation himself, she is encouraging him to develop those same traits. She wants her younger brother to grow up to be strong, resilient, and capable of defending himself, reflecting her own qualities of being smart and tough.

Evaluate the given options

• Option 1: "She wants him to learn to behave like someone older like she is." While she is older, the dialogue focuses specifically on standing up to a bully, which is about strength and toughness rather than general age-appropriate behavior.
• Option 2: "She wants him to grow to be smart and tough like she is." This directly connects Paul's description of Cassie ("tough, smart") with her demand that he handle Mitchell himself to build that inner strength.
• Option 3: "She wants him to be a mother hen to Mitchell..." This is incorrect; she is the "mother hen" to Paul, and she wants Paul to stand up to Mitchell, not protect him.
• Option 4: "She wants him to become just a bit arrogant..." Although she is described as "just a bit cocky," her motivation for telling him to stand up to Mitchell is to build resilience and toughness, not arrogance.

Answer:

• She wants him to learn to behave like someone older like she is.
• She wants him to grow to be smart and tough like she is. (Correct answer)
• She wants him to be a mother hen to Mitchell like she is to him.
• She wants him to become just a bit arrogant, like she is.