Question

The Summer of El Pintor
by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman

When Mrs. Callahan left, Monica stood at the dining room window, looking outside. A light breeze ruffled the sun-glistened leaves of the trees lining the street. A woman and a very small boy in red-and-blue overalls walked slowly under the trees, the boy stopping every now and then to pick up some fallen leaves. Everything looked ordinary and peaceful out there. She frowned. There was nothing ordinary and peaceful about her mood. She felt trapped and she didn’t like it. It had all happened so fast. And innocently. She was in this muddle because she had wanted to help Rob find El Pintor. No, that wasn’t exactly fair. She, too, had wanted to find El Pintor. And because of that, here she was, pretending to be someone she wasn’t.



Excerpt from "Summer of El Pintor" by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman is being reprinted with permission from the publisher (©Arte Público Press - University of Houston)

Question
Use the story excerpt to answer the question.

What effect does the sensory language have on the mood of the text?

(1 point)
Responses

It creates a sense of longing.
It creates a sense of longing.

It creates a sense of fear.
It creates a sense of fear.

It creates a sense of anger.
It creates a sense of anger.

It creates a sense of hope.

Answer 1

It creates a sense of longing.

The peaceful, sensory details of the scene contrast with Monica’s trapped, unhappy mood, emphasizing her desire for the ordinary calm she sees outside.