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.

This paragraph supports the idea that Micaela
wishes her heritage was different because she has difficulty relating to her grandmother.
wants to find her own unique identity that is separate from her brother and her grandmother.
will never accept her Mexican roots because of her feelings toward her grandmother.
identifies with her Mexican heritage in a different way than her grandmother.

Answer 1

Answer: identifies with her Mexican heritage in a different way than her grandmother.

Explanation: The paragraph shows Micaela resents her grandmother’s strict, religious views and feels like an outsider to Mexican culture (calls her grandmother “awful,” stands outside the church) while also identifying with American culture (emulating TV characters). That supports a different form of identification, not wholesale rejection. The other choices are either too strong (wishing her heritage different; “will never accept” her roots) or contradicted (she and her brother emulate the same American characters, so she’s not trying to be separate from him).