Quarantine: Chapter 1, Quin's Loneliness

Question

A. Gautam

Quin missed Gwen even though she was on the other side of the wall. From the time they shared a womb, the siblings were inseparable. This time though, a bad case of the flu had kept the twins apart. Gwen had soccer matches coming up and couldn’t afford to get sick. Quin was missing his winter rehearsals and possibly recitals, and he seemed sadder than a withering bouquet of roses.

He could hear Gwen singing to herself as she cleaned the room. He could hear her as she read her books out loud. She had always kept quiet and never even hummed the songs she would listen to let alone read aloud from the novels she was reading. Quin had no idea why Gwen was suddenly a sound machine.

“I miss you, bro,” she would say sometimes and knock on the wall.

Quin was too weak to even knock back. He was barely keeping the food his mama prepared for him. She was checking on him with disposable gloves on. Mrs. Lee got too little time off work and couldn’t afford to get sick herself. Old neighbor Mrs. Ali would bring Quin soup and crackers in the afternoon and check his temperature and call Mrs. Lee to update. Quin knew he was lucky to be loved by these wonderful souls.
Question
Which detail best expresses a theme of the story?
Responses
A "don’t cough, it’s rough on your vocal cord""don’t cough, it’s rough on your vocal cord"
B "Quin knew he was lucky to be loved by these wonderful souls.""Quin knew he was lucky to be loved by these wonderful souls."
C "Gwen felt terrible for Quin, the star musician of the school and orchestra.""Gwen felt terrible for Quin, the star musician of the school and orchestra."
D "Mrs. Lee got too little time off work and couldn’t afford to get sick herself.""Mrs. Lee got too little time off work and couldn’t afford to get sick herself."

Answer 1

The detail that best expresses a theme of the story is:

B "Quin knew he was lucky to be loved by these wonderful souls."

This line reflects the theme of love and support from family and friends during difficult times, which is central to Quin's experience of loneliness and his reliance on the care of others while he is unwell.