The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Question

Part A
In "The Medicine Bag," Grandpa describes a piece of iron his father once found.
What does the piece of iron most likely symbolize?

A. his father's purpose in life
B. his father's death in a coming war
C. his father's distrust of white people
D. his father's refusal to learn from his elders
Part B
Which quotation from "The Medicine Bag" most clearly supports the answer to Part A?

A. He did not understand his vision of finding something belonging to the white people, for in that time they were the enemy. (paragraph 64)
B. At first Iron Shell resisted the teachers' attempts to change him, and he did not try. (paragraph 66)
C. As he walked into the place, he knew that his medicine had brought him there to learn and work with the white man's iron. (paragraph 66)
D. I kept the bag until my son, your mother's father, was a man and had to leave us to fight in the war across the ocean. (paragraph 69)

Answer 1

Part A: The piece of iron most likely symbolizes C. his father's distrust of white people. This interpretation suggests that the iron, which is associated with white culture and technology, represents a complex relationship with the white community, reflecting Iron Shell's inner conflict and distrust stemming from historical tensions.

Part B: The quotation that most clearly supports the answer to Part A is A. He did not understand his vision of finding something belonging to the white people, for in that time they were the enemy. (paragraph 64). This quotation directly addresses the distrust towards white people and the tension around owning a piece of their culture, thereby reinforcing the symbolic interpretation of the piece of iron.