Question

Read the paragraph from a student’s literary essay comparing two different works.

(1) Sandra Cisneros’s “Mericans” is about a young American girl of Mexican descent who is struggling between her cultural heritage and American identity. (2) Cisneros illustrates this through a number of images and ideas. (3) For example, the speaker, Micaela, calls her grandmother “awful,” and seems to resent the woman’s strict views and religious ideals. (4) The speaker also mentions how she and her brother emulate characters from popular American television programs when they play make-believe. (5) Lastly, she describes physically standing outside her family’s church, an act that symbolizes the fact that she feels like an outsider to Mexican culture. (6) Although Micaela is of Mexican descent, she seems to feel a stronger connection to the United States.

Which best describes this paragraph?
the introduction to the essay
a body paragraph of the essay
the thesis of the essay
the conclusion of the essay

Answer 1

a body paragraph of the essay

It presents a claim about the story, gives several specific pieces of textual evidence, and ends with a sentence that reinforces the paragraph’s main point — the typical structure of a body paragraph.