Read each quotation from Barrio Boy and the statement below it. Which statement is a correct inference based on the quotation?

Question

1.You never knew when a compadre or comadre, of your aunt, or your uncle, or your father, or your mother was watching.
Ernesto's childhood was tense at times.
2.People talked to one another on the street in low tones; only drunks and muchachitos mal educados raised their voices, or the arrieros when they shouted to their donkeys.
Ernesto's family owned a donkey.
3.Our train was still there, the flats and boxcars and coaches deserted, Mexican and American soldiers walking back and forth.
Ernesto felt safe at the train station.
4.We stayed only one day at the hotel, long enough for me to become acquainted with the bathtub, located in another closet next to the toilet.
Ernesto normally takes a bath every day.

Answer 1

Let's analyze each quotation and the corresponding statement to determine the correct inference:

1. Quotation: "You never knew when a compadre or comadre, of your aunt, or your uncle, or your father, or your mother was watching."
   Inference: "Ernesto's childhood was tense at times."
   Correctness: This inference is correct. The quotation suggests a sense of being observed and the pressure that comes with it, indicating a tense atmosphere.

2. Quotation: "People talked to one another on the street in low tones; only drunks and muchachitos mal educados raised their voices, or the arrieros when they shouted to their donkeys."
   Inference: "Ernesto's family owned a donkey."
   Correctness: This inference is not necessarily correct. The quotation discusses the behavior of people on the street and describes arrieros (donkey drivers) but does not provide direct evidence that Ernesto's family owned a donkey.

3. Quotation: "Our train was still there, the flats and boxcars and coaches deserted, Mexican and American soldiers walking back and forth."
   Inference: "Ernesto felt safe at the train station."
   Correctness: This inference is not supported by the quotation. The presence of soldiers indicates a possibly tense or unsafe situation rather than a feeling of safety.

4. Quotation: "We stayed only one day at the hotel, long enough for me to become acquainted with the bathtub, located in another closet next to the toilet."
   Inference: "Ernesto normally takes a bath every day."
   Correctness: This inference can be reasonably inferred as correct since becoming acquainted with the bathtub implies he has some familiarity with bathing, though it is not definitively stated.

In summary, the correct inferences based on the quotations are:

• 1. Correct inference: Ernesto's childhood was tense at times.
• 2. Incorrect inference: The statement does not support this.
• 3. Incorrect inference: The statement suggests otherwise.
• 4. Reasonably correct inference: Implies familiarity with bathing.

Thus, the most clearly supported inference is from quotation 1.