Question

10
Select the correct text in the passage.
Which sentence best illustrates the theme that it is sometimes hard to know how to support a friend?
excerpt from The Haircut
by J. Robbins

"Oh, no," said Keesha to her friend Alicia.  "Here comes Betty. Whatever you do, don't mention her new haircut." Alicia craned her neck to see Betty's hair.
"I can't wait to see how it looks," she said. "Everyone has been talking about her haircut, but I haven't seen it yet."
“Hey, guys!" Betty called happily as she approached her friends. Alicia swallowed hard and tried to keep from laughing out loud. "It looks like a raccoon climbed up on her head and died!" Alicia thought to herself.
"Hello, Betty," Keesha said. "How did you do on the hair . . . I mean, the history test?"
"Great, I think," Betty replied. "It's hard to tell with Mr. Whitefeather's tests. How did you do, Alicia?"
"Um, okay," stuttered Alicia. "I was doing okay until the bell rang, and I got cut way too short. I mean, I ran out of time." Keesha pinched Alicia's arm to keep her from laughing.
"So what do you guys think about my new haircut?" Betty asked her friends. Keesha gulped and looked at Alicia for help.
"It's . . . wonderful!" Keesha lied. "Oh, it's not horrible at all."
"Oh, yes!" Alicia agreed. "It is the best haircut ever." Betty stared at her friends in surprise.

Answer 1

The sentence that best illustrates the theme that it is sometimes hard to know how to support a friend is:

"It's . . . wonderful!" Keesha lied. "Oh, it's not horrible at all."

This shows Keesha grappling with the challenge of providing support to her friend Betty while knowing the truth about how the haircut looks.