Question

The boy bent over her and stared at the long pink-gold hair and the half-shut sleeping eyes. Then he looked up and stared at Mr. Shiftlet. “She looks like an angel of Gawd,” he murmured.

“Hitch-hiker,” Mr. Shiftlet explained. “I can’t wait. I got to make Tuscaloosa.”

The boy bent over again and very carefully touched his finger to a strand of the golden hair and Mr. Shiftlet left.

Which statement most accurately represents the excerpt’s larger idea?
Getting what you want may not make you happy.
Beauty and truth appear in unexpected places.
Social isolation may lead people to act immorally.
You may not get everything that you have bargained for.

Answer 1

Beauty and truth appear in unexpected places.

The boy perceives the sleeping girl as an "angel of Gawd," an innocent, truthful beauty, while Mr. Shiftlet dismisses her coldly and moves on—highlighting the contrast between unexpected purity and cynical indifference.