Question

question 1
1 point

which statement best summarizes the most important plot points?

the protagonist is asked to go get cigarettes, but she isnt able to. something is definitely up, and the adults dont seem to be saying anything about whatever it is.

the protagonist is enduring a hot summer and cant go to the seaside where she and her family usually go. but its nice that her family friends can still spend time with her on her birthday. they send her out for cigarettes, but she isnt able to get them. thats probably a good thing, because a 10-year-old shouldnt be buying cigarettes in the first place.

during a sweltering summer in zagreb, the 10-year-old protagonist goes to buy cigarettes for a family friend as she has done in the past. this time, she is turned away because she is asked to choose between serbian and croatian ones, and she cannot. she returns home empty handed, only to be comforted by the adults around her.

the story starts on the protagonists 10th birthday. it is so hot that her cake is soggy. her parents best friends are over, but they dont have any children for her to play with. she is sent out to buy cigarettes and she goes through a tunnel that smells bad. she doesnt get the cigarettes after all.

Explanation:

Analyze the options for key plot elements

The third option provides the most comprehensive and objective summary of the central conflict and plot progression: it establishes the setting (a sweltering summer in Zagreb), the protagonist (a 10-year-old), the inciting action (going to buy cigarettes for a family friend), the core conflict (being turned away due to ethnic/political divisions between Serbian and Croatian brands), and the resolution (returning empty-handed and being comforted).

Eliminate incorrect options

• Option 1 is too vague and lacks specific details about the setting, characters, or the nature of the conflict.
• Option 2 contains subjective commentary ("That's probably a good thing, because a 10-year-old shouldn't be buying cigarettes...") which violates the rules of objective summarizing.
• Option 4 focuses heavily on minor details (soggy cake, smelly tunnel) rather than the main thematic and narrative conflict of the plot.

Answer:

• (A) The protagonist is asked to go get cigarettes, but she isn't able to. Something is definitely up, and the adults don't seem to be saying anything about whatever it is.
• (B) The protagonist is enduring a hot summer and can't go to the seaside where she and her family usually go. But it's nice that her family friends can still spend time with her on her birthday. They send her out for cigarettes, but she isn't able to get them. That's probably a good thing, because a 10-year-old shouldn't be buying cigarettes in the first place.
• (C) During a sweltering summer in Zagreb, the 10-year-old protagonist goes to buy cigarettes for a family friend as she has done in the past. This time, she is turned away because she is asked to choose between Serbian and Croatian ones, and she cannot. She returns home empty handed, only to be comforted by the adults around her. (Correct answer)
• (D) The story starts on the protagonist's 10th birthday. It is so hot that her cake is soggy. Her parents' best friends are over, but they don't have any children for her to play with. She is sent out to buy cigarettes and she goes through a tunnel that smells bad. She doesn't get the cigarettes after all.