from The Book of Unknown Americans

Question

Read these sentences from paragraph 12.

“They think we’re Americans now. And maybe we are! Maybe we don’t belong there anymore after all.”

What causes the father to make this statement?

The father regrets leaving Panamá with his family because he now knows that his classmates are angry that he left their country and got a job.

The class president accuses the father of thinking he is better than everyone who stayed in Panamá because the father left and became an American citizen.

The class president suggests that American citizenship has no value.

The father respects the class president and wants to return to Panamá.

Answer 1

The father's statement is likely prompted by feelings of disconnection from his homeland of Panamá and the realization that, despite retaining their cultural heritage, his family is now seen as Americans. This suggests that he is grappling with a sense of identity and belonging, feeling that they may no longer fit in either their home country or the new one they now inhabit.

Among the provided options, the one that best explains the father's statement is:

The class president accuses the father of thinking he is better than everyone who stayed in Panamá because the father left and became an American citizen.

This implies that the father's experience of being viewed as an outsider, along with the pressure of the class president's accusations, contributes to his reflection on their identity and belonging.