Eli trudged home after work, his back feeling like it was quite literally going to break in two. The streets, as usual, were packed so densely with people, horses, and pushcart vendors that he thought he’d never get home. But a part of him really didn’t care how long it took. Home wasn’t all that comfortable anyway. It was cramped, musty, and dimly lit. And without any proper restroom facilities, there was always an awful odor emanating from the chamber pots. Their home in New York’s most crowded immigrant neighborhood was not only a home; it was also a factory. Pa had started a small garment factory where five employees cut, sewed, and pressed lady’s shirtwaists for more than 10 hours each day, 6 days a week, in their tiny 325-square-foot apartment on the tenement’s fifth floor. Ma tried to keep the house clean and safe for Eli’s four younger siblings, but it wasn’t an easy task in such cramped quarters. And, of course, Eli knew what was waiting for him for supper. “Oh boy, I can’t wait to eat another pot of cabbage soup,” he mumbled to himself as he pushed his way to his tenement’s door. Ever since the price of meat had skyrocketed at the kosher butcher shops on Orchard Street, they couldn’t afford anything more than cabbage. Eli’s stomach growled as he thought about how his family worked hard, each of them working more than 60 hours a week, to live in a tiny cramped apartment that doubled as a factory and to eat cabbage soup every single night. This didn’t much sound like the American dream that they had all envisioned when they left their Russian homeland. “I’m home, Ma,” Eli announced as he walked into Apartment number 505. He shuddered as he watched his mother putting the final handful of cabbage into the pot on the stove. Question Use the paragraphs to answer the question. Which best analyzes the use of sarcasm in the paragraphs? (1 point) Responses When the narrator describes the scene in the neighborhood, it helps the reader understand the conditions under which the people are living. When the narrator describes the scene in the neighborhood, it helps the reader understand the conditions under which the people are living. When Eli announces that he is home, it shows that he is ready to have a good attitude about what his mother is preparing for dinner. When Eli announces that he is home, it shows that he is ready to have a good attitude about what his mother is preparing for dinner. When Eli implies his excitement about eating the cabbage soup, it provides insight into how he really feels about the situation. When Eli implies his excitement about eating the cabbage soup, it provides insight into how he really feels about the situation. When the narrator mentions that Eli’s back felt like it was breaking, it helps the reader understand how tired Eli must

Answer 1

be after a long day of work.

The best analysis of the use of sarcasm in the paragraphs is: When Eli implies his excitement about eating the cabbage soup, it provides insight into how he really feels about the situation. This statement reflects Eli's true feelings about the repetitive and unsatisfactory meal, highlighting the irony in his words and illustrating his disillusionment with their circumstances.