A Family That Plays Together

Question

by Tirzah Tyler

On Friday morning, Sergio flung his backpack over his shoulder and sighed. "It's just for two nights," he told his father.
"Mijo, we're a mariachi band. If you abandon us, we'll only have one guitar," Mr. Rosales said with a frown and a gleam in his eye that made him look like a heartbroken puppy.
Sergio had never seen his father cry, but he wondered if maybe he was about to witness that phenomenon. Telling him about working at a shoe store over the weekend with a friend was not going well. "Dad, I'm going to make more money than I would performing with the family," Sergio explained.
"But we always play together! And then we all split the profits!" Mr. Rosales exclaimed. Now he looked like the Paricutín volcano about to erupt in a Mexican cornfield.
"Dad, it's going to be OK," Sergio said. "Ana knows the guitar parts to all the songs just as well as I do. If she just plays her guitar louder than usual, I think the family will sound just fine."
Mr. Rosales sighed and said calmly, "I can't make you perform with us." Then he added, "When you started spending so much time with Jeremy, I thought maybe you just needed a friend. Now I'm beginning to think that you just don't want us in your life anymore."
"Dad, I love you all," Sergio said. "I'm not trying to leave the family. I'll just be away for four hours tonight and six hours tomorrow night. The more I earn now, the less I'll need to earn later. ¿Comprendes, Papi?"
Mr. Rosales gently stroked his chin in thought. He nodded and replied, "Sí, Mijo, claro que sí," to say that he understood what Sergio was saying.
After school, Sergio rode the city bus with his friend Jeremy to Speedaway Athletic Shoes. Their plan was to do inventory; they were going to make a list of the store's supplies. After the boys arrived at the store, Sergio unzipped his backpack and took out his calculator and pencil. Jeremy turned on the TV in the store's break room and tuned in to his favorite show.
"It's OK if we goof off," Jeremy said. "Speedaway will pay us for four hours of work, but our job will only take us about two hours. We can do whatever we want while we're here. The manager told me so."
Sergio groaned at the thought of being dishonest. He thought about his family playing his favorite mariachi songs without him. Then he decided that earning less money with his family was better than earning more money with a friend.
As politely as he could, Sergio said goodbye to Jeremy and caught the next bus home. After he arrived, he threw his backpack onto his bed, changed into his uniform, and fished his guitar out of his closet. Then he half-walked, half-ran the eight blocks to the restaurant where his family was performing.
Out of breath, Sergio strapped his guitar around his neck, stood next to his sister Ana, and strummed along to the second verse of "Cielito Lindo." Ana gently kicked his shoe.
Sergio's father, who was playing a guitarrón, looked up at Sergio and smiled.
Sergio thought he saw tears in his father's eyes.
7
What is the best summary of the passage?
A.
Sergio wants to spend two nights away at a shoe store with his friend so that he can earn more money. Despite his father requesting him to join the family for their usual performance, Sergio goes with his friend to the store. At the shoe store, Sergio realizes that it is more fun and relaxing to work with his friend than to perform with his family.
B.
Mr. Rosales understands Sergio's desire to earn more money and readily accepts his absence from the family's performance. However, at the shoe store, Sergio realizes that working with his family is more enjoyable. Sergio returns home and rushes to the family's performance, but feels sad to see that they have already begun without him.
C.
Mr. Rosales agrees when Sergio convinces him to let Ana play the guitar in his place. However, when Sergio is with his friend at the shoe store, he realizes that he is a better guitarist than Ana, and that he should perform with his family. He rushes to the performance, and at the last minute, convinces Ana to let him play instead.
D.
Sergio decides to skip his family's performance against his father's wishes and work with his friend Jeremy in a shoe store to earn more money. However, when he sees his friend goofing off at the store instead of working, he realizes that it is better to earn less money with his family than earn more money dishonestly. Sergio returns and performs with his family.

Answer 1

D. Sergio decides to skip his family's performance against his father's wishes and work with his friend Jeremy in a shoe store to earn more money. However, when he sees his friend goofing off at the store instead of working, he realizes that it is better to earn less money with his family than earn more money dishonestly. Sergio returns and performs with his family.