Question

read the excerpts from \take the tortillas out of your poetry\ and \speaking arabic.\
my friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. he took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of spanish, english, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. in other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry.
at a neighborhood fair in texas, somewhere between the german oom - pah sausage stand and the mexican gorditas booth, i overheard a young man say to his friend, \i wish i had a heritage. sometimes i feel—so lonely for one.\ and the tall american trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head.
which best states how the structures of both excerpts engage the reader?

• they employ statistical evidence
• they employ figurative language
• they employ supporting quotes
• they employ an authoritative tone

Explanation:

To determine the answer, we analyze each option:

• "They employ statistical evidence": Neither excerpt uses statistics, so this is incorrect.
• "They employ figurative language": The first excerpt uses "took the tortillas out of his poetry" (a metaphor for removing cultural/soulful elements), and the second has "the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head" (personification of trees), so figurative language is used.
• "They employ supporting quotes": The quotes are part of the narrative, not as supporting evidence for an argument, so this is incorrect.
• "They employ an authoritative tone": The tone is more narrative and reflective, not authoritative, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

B. They employ figurative language