Question

Chapter 1: Nancy: Not Ready
A. Gautam

Although I had to keep my promise to Mrs. Lancaster, I was getting cold feet on the day of announcing my campaign. What was I thinking when I said yes? I was a single mother to a teen, and she needed me now more than ever because kids at her school were vicious. But I had kept my dreams on hold until Kiera needed me less and less. It seemed that day would never come. Now, the city of Rosali was ready for the first female mayor, and Mrs. Lancaster was going to fund my campaign. I truly couldn’t deny the opportunity, but now, I couldn’t dive into it either.

“Ready for the fundraiser luncheon?” I asked my daughter donned in a somber black outfit that looked fit for a funeral. There was no time to change. Besides, relatable kids fared better than prim and proper kids.

“Never been more ready,” Kiera said, putting her phone away with a sigh and dragging her backpack on the carpet.

As we grabbed donuts and milkshakes from the drive-through, I realized that only until last week, we used to eat oatmeal and smoothies together every morning and chat about our days.

“Did you want to get smoothies instead?” I asked, briefly stealing a glance of my daughter who was furiously typing on her phone. She hadn’t touched her food.

“Uh huh,” she said and remembered to start eating.

I was worried if being elected would ruin our relationship and if my only daughter was already pulling away from me.
The last paragraph of chapter 2 influences the theme of the story because it shows that Kiera
A understands that her mother needs care.
B believes children can also support parents.
C feels as though adults do not understand kids.
D accepts that she and her mother are different.

Answer 1

D

The narrator worries that her daughter is pulling away and their interaction (Kiera distracted by her phone, terse replies) shows a growing distance and differences between them, so the last paragraph highlights Kiera accepting that she and her mother are different.