Question

the little orange way to know my mother
by amy i. wan
1 during the winter, my mother always made sure there were plenty of
oranges in our home. they were among the only seasonal fruits available
during the cold months in new england. and on chinese new year there
would be red bowls filled with big fat oranges, smaller thin - skinned
tangerines, and cute little clementines. in the days following, we would eat
them at every meal, trying to finish them before they spoiled. nothing
disappointed my mother more than when an orange went bad, a soft green or
white powdery spot betraying the fruits freshness.
2 “ay - yah,” my mother would say as she threw them away. they made a
heavy thud at the bottom of the kitchen trash can. then she would turn to us
and say, “we will eat these later.” a pronouncement of fact more than
anything else. we would not waste them.
3 on our monthly visits to grandparents and other relatives, my mother did
much of her grocery shopping in chinatown where oranges were sold
everywhere in high pyramids on the sidewalk instead of in plastic bags like
at the supermarket near our house. bundled in her thick winter coat and
clutching her purse, she was easy to spot in the swarming crowds that
squeezed through the narrow, crooked streets. from the warmth and safety of
the car, i noticed how carefully she sorted through the piles of vegetables,
owers of fish, and bins full of ginger and garlic, broken wide the crates that
in “the little orange way to know my mother,” the authors mother repeatedly
asks, “is it sweet?” to make sure

his daughters finish their oranges.

she chose good oranges from the box.

her daughters are giving an honest opinion of the oranges.

the oranges taste good enough for her to eat.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The text doesn't suggest the mother asks "Is it sweet?" to make daughters finish oranges. The focus is on the orange's quality for her to eat.
• Option 2: The mother is not choosing oranges from a box (she shops in Chinatown with oranges in pyramids), so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: There's no indication she wants daughters' honest opinion; she's concerned about the orange's taste for herself.
• Option 4: The mother is careful with oranges, and asking "Is it sweet?" is to check if the orange tastes good enough for her to eat (since she doesn't want to waste and is particular about the fruit's quality).

Answer:

D. the oranges taste good enough for her to eat.