We’re Sikh. That’s our faith. We have a lovely temple south of Milwaukee that looks a little like an office building from the outside. Anyway, today I’m helping my mother and aunts in the kitchen for an event. When I take out the trash, I find an antique lamp. It’s rusted and battered, but magnificent. I like to collect items others throw away and make art from them.
Paintings on scraps of discarded wood. Sculptures from empty soda cans and cardboard. Models from twine and sticks. You get the idea.
I like to give my art away to those I love, which is mainly my family. I’m too young to be a Romeo or Juliet. Anyway, back to the lamp. I pick it up and use my fingernail to scrape at a spot of what looks like tar.
Steam escapes from the top, where the light bulb usually goes. I almost drop the lamp because the mist takes shape and settles on the asphalt in front of me, next to the dumpster, at the very back of the Sikh temple.
It’s a creature—part fox, part lion, but more the size of a medium range dog. It sits back on its hind legs and grins, which could be mistaken for baring pointy teeth. I grip the lamp tighter, ready to strike if needed. But I don’t have to—the creature speaks eloquently. Yeah, that’s right. It speaks.
“Thank you for bringing me through the portal. Now I would like to share gifts with you. Tell me: What do you wish for? I will grant you three. . .”
Use the passage to answer the question.
Cite evidence of an allusion to classical literature.
A. “It’s a creature—part fox, part lion, but more the size of a medium range dog.”
B. “My name is Ali. I’m from Punjab, India, but my family and I live in Milwaukee—a city in Wisconsin.”
C. “I’m too young to be a Romeo or Juliet.”
D. “I like to collect items others throw away and make art from them.”
1 answer
The correct answer is C. “I’m too young to be a Romeo or Juliet.”
This sentence alludes to the classical literary characters Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet," which explores themes of young love, fate, and tragedy. By referencing these characters, the passage connects to the broader themes of love and youth found in classical literature.
