Question

As a little boy, Wash spotted flashes of other worlds – neighborhoods where middle-class blacks like Audrey lived, and even fancier ones "over the mountain" in Mountain Brook, where his mother worked as a maid for a wealthy white family. "There would be times when we would go riding with somebody we knew that had a car. We would ride through Titusville or over to Mountain Brook. So, we knew that there was something better than the house that we lived in."

How does this excerpt help readers make a personal connection to the story?

by describing the appearance of Wash’s neighborhood
by offering information about Wash’s hopes for the future
by giving details about Wash’s mother’s salary
by describing the towns of Titusville and Mountain Brook

Answer 1

by offering information about Wash’s hopes for the future

The passage shows Wash noticing "something better" than his own home—glimpses of middle-class and fancier neighborhoods—which lets readers connect to his awareness of and longing for a better life.