The Land of Red Apples by Zitkála-Šá (excerpt) What is the central idea of this text?

The detail in paragraph 9 that best supports the inference that certain features of the house are totally new to Zitkála-Šá is the description of the upward incline of wooden boxes, which she later learns to call a stairway. This suggests that Zitkála-Šá is unfamiliar with stairs and has not encountered them before. The fact that she had to learn the term "stairway" indicates that this particular feature of the house is new to her. This detail indicates that Zitkála-Šá is in an unfamiliar environment, experiencing things she has not encountered before in her Native American culture or during her travels.

The detail in paragraph 9 that best supports the inference that certain features of the house are totally new to Zitkála-Šá is: "From the table we were taken along an upward incline of wooden boxes, which I learned afterward to call a stairway."

This detail suggests that Zitkála-Šá was unfamiliar with a basic architectural feature of the house - the stairway. The use of the words "I learned afterward" indicates that she didn't know what a stairway was before this experience. The fact that she had to learn the name for it suggests that she had never encountered a stairway in her previous life before arriving at this place.

This detail adds to the overall idea that the house and its features were entirely new to Zitkála-Šá. It highlights her sense of unfamiliarity and disorientation in her new surroundings.

The correct answer is C. Zitkála-Šá's initial excitement about her journey was soon overtaken by sadness because of how she was treated in the missionary school.

In the passage, it is clear that Zitkála-Šá and her companions were excited to start their journey to the Red Apple Country and had high expectations. They dreamed of roaming freely and happily, similar to their experiences on the Dakota plains. However, their excitement quickly turned to sadness and discomfort when they encountered the palefaces (a term used to refer to white people) along the way.

Zitkála-Šá describes how the staring and curious behavior of the palefaces disturbed and troubled them. They felt uncomfortable being watched and even pointed at by the other children. Instead of reprimanding the children or discouraging such behavior, their mothers encouraged it by looking closely at Zitkála-Šá and drawing further attention to her. This made her feel embarrassed and constantly on the verge of tears.

When they finally reached the school grounds, Zitkála-Šá experienced further distress. The bright lights, noise, and commotion overwhelmed her. She sought safety by staying close to the wall and tried to escape the confusion. However, she was caught by a paleface woman who treated her as a plaything, tossing her in the air. This made Zitkála-Šá both frightened and insulted, as her mother had never treated her this way.

Throughout the passage, Zitkála-Šá's journey is depicted as a difficult and emotionally challenging experience. The excitement she initially felt turned into sadness due to the way she was treated by the palefaces at the missionary school. Therefore, the central idea of "The Land of Red Apples" is that Zitkála-Šá's initial excitement about her journey was soon overtaken by sadness because of how she was treated in the missionary school.

The phrase in paragraph 6 of "The Land of Red Apples" that helps determine the meaning of the word "trifling" is "I was both frightened and insulted by such trifling."

In this context, the word "trifling" means being treated as a plaything or being trivialized. The narrator, Zitkála-Šá, expresses her feelings of fear and offense when the paleface woman tosses her high in midair and catches her. She feels insulted because she doesn't want to be treated as a toy or plaything. The word "trifling" emphasizes the narrator's discomfort and dissatisfaction with the way she is being treated in that moment.

The paragraph further explains that the narrator's own mother had never treated her as a plaything, which adds to her emotions of being insulted. The contrast between her mother's treatment and the treatment she experiences in that situation amplifies her distress and leads her to cry aloud.

Therefore, in this context, the word "trifling" indicates the narrator's sense of being treated in a trivial or demeaning manner, which causes her to feel frightened and insulted.

In the sentence, "Their mothers, instead of reproving such rude curiosity, looked closely at me, and attracted their children's further notice to my blanket," the word "reproving" means D. correcting.

To understand the meaning of "reproving," let's look at the context of the sentence. The author describes a situation where children on the train point at the author's moccasined feet, and their mothers, instead of reproving their rude curiosity, looked closely at the author and attracted their children's further notice to the author's blanket.

Based on this, we can infer that "reproving" means "correcting" or "reprimanding." The mothers should have corrected their children's rude behavior or reprimanded them for pointing and staring at the author.

Therefore, the correct answer is D. correcting.

The detail from paragraphs 9-10 that best explains the main reason Zitkála-Šá seems soothed is in paragraph 9. Zitkála-Šá mentions that she was tucked into bed with one of the tall girls because the girl talked to her in her mother tongue. This detail indicates that being able to communicate with someone in her own language provided a sense of comfort and familiarity for Zitkála-Šá in an unfamiliar and unsettling environment. It allowed her to connect with someone who understood her and helped ease her anxiety, leading to a sense of soothing.

The central idea of this text, an excerpt from "The Land of Red Apples" by Zitkála-Šá, could be best encapsulated by the statement:

A. Even in happy places, happiness is not guaranteed.

To unfold this statement, let's examine the narrative. The protagonist is a young Native American child who embarks on a journey to the East with eight other children, presumably to attend a new school or institution – something broadly symbolized as the "Land of Red Apples." This new place, with its majestic buildings and rosy sky, seems like a promised land of happiness where dreams come true.

However, the protagonist's experience is contrary. She feels alienated amid the staring crowds in the train, feels uncomfortable under the intrusive gazes and disrespectful actions of other children and their mothers, and is deeply homesick. Despite being surrounded by a festive environment, she's saddened by the abrupt shift from her traditional lifestyle and is left longing for her mother and her home.

The narrative vividly portrays how the young protagonist's expectation of achieving happiness in the so-called utopian place does not materialize. Instead she's met with alienation, homesickness, and longing for her family. These themes effectively illustrate the central idea that happiness isn't guaranteed even in seemingly 'happy' places. Through this journey, the text narrates a displacement and emotional upheaval experienced by many native children sent to assimilation schools during that era, which is a poignant aspect of the story.

The other options such as 'Leaving home is an opportunity for self-discovery' (B) and 'New friendships can emerge in unexpected places' (D) are not strongly supported in the text. Though the protagonist goes through a massive change, the text does not highlight self-discovery or new friendships being formed in depth. Option 'C' on being cautious when travelling alone sort of misses the emotional undertone of displacement and the longing for home prevalent in the text. Hence, these are less accurate in defining the central idea compared to option ‘A’.

In paragraph 6 of the passage, the author describes their experience upon entering the house. To determine the author's point of view in this paragraph, let's analyze the evidence provided.

The author mentions that the strong glaring light in the large, whitewashed room dazzled their eyes, indicating that the inside of the house was overwhelming (D). They also mention the noisy hurrying of hard shoes upon a bare wooden floor, increasing the whirring in their ears, suggesting that the noise inside the house was too much to bear (C).

Taking these details into consideration, it can be concluded that the author's point of view in paragraph 6 is that the inside of the house is overwhelming (D).