Question

Read the excerpt from Pat Mora’s essay "The Leader in the Mirror."

I hoped that most of the students were going to enroll in college. The confetti would be for their private celebrations, those solitary moments when they had passed a test that worried them, finished a difficult paper at 2 A.M., found a summer internship. Sometimes, even when no one else is around, it’s important to celebrate when we have struggled and succeeded—to sprinkle a little confetti on our own heads.

What is the author’s purpose in using confetti as a symbol?

The confetti represents celebration. The author uses confetti to encourage her audience to celebrate success.
The confetti represents celebration. The author uses confetti to teach the students how to plan a celebration party.
The confetti is a symbol of college graduation. The author uses the symbol to reward college graduates.
The confetti is a symbol of summer internships. The author uses the symbol to encourage signing up for summer internships.

Answer 1

The first option. The confetti symbolizes celebration, and the author uses it to encourage readers to acknowledge and celebrate their own successes.