Question

B. Which TWO phrases provide context clues for the meaning of ostracizing?

Question 10 options:

A. “. . . following the lead . . .” (paragraph 1)

B. “. . . obvious snubs . . .” (paragraph 1)

C. “. . . noticeably more advanced in age . . .” (paragraph 1)

D. “. . . feel at home.” (paragraph 4)

E. “. . . were giggling and chattering . . .” (paragraph 7)

F. “. . . the walls that cliques tried to erect . . .” (paragraph 9)

Answer 1

from Woman on the Other Shore

by Mitsuyo Kakuta, translated by Wayne P. Lammers

But as time passed, Sayoko began to notice a certain cliquishness among some of the young mothers who came to the park. She saw that they were following the lead of one woman in particular, and although they were careful not to be too open about it, avoiding any obvious snubs, they were in effect ostracizing one of the other mothers. Being over thirty herself, Sayoko was noticeably more advanced in age than most of the women, so she could accept that they might think she didn’t fit in. It didn’t mean they thought she was a bad person. They would naturally assume that someone as much older as she was would have different perspectives and be harder to open up to. It was an entirely understandable response, really.
Even so, once she realized what was going on, Sayoko found it depressing to go to the park, and she gave up the daily outings for a while. But then it wasn’t long before she started feeling guilty about keeping her daughter cooped up at home all the time. She worried that without the park and its opportunities for meeting other children, her little girl might never develop the social skills she needed.
And so Sayoko and Akari had spent the last two years slowly making the rounds of every park within walking distance of their condominium. Once they’d been going to Park A long enough for Sayoko to identify the social dynamics of the mothers who gathered there, they moved on to Park B. Fortunately, there was no shortage of parks large and small within range of their building.
Sayoko learned that people who wandered from park to park this way were known as “park hoppers.” But it’s not like we’re hopping around by choice, she muttered as if making excuses to someone as she left the house with Akari in search of each new park. We’re just trying to find a park where we can feel at home.
This particular park, about a twenty-minute walk from their building, was the largest they’d found in their travels, and it drew a more mixed crowd than the communities of young mothers Sayoko had found so characteristic of the smaller parks. Here she saw fathers walking their babies, or older folks playing with their grandchildren, and even the mothers were much more varied in age and dress. Not only that, but, as a matter of courtesy, all the grownups ignored each other; nobody ever tried to talk to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. Deciding she preferred it that way, Sayoko had been bringing her daughter here for nearly six months now.
Of course, even if the grownups kept to themselves, the little ones usually made friends. While their parents buried their noses in books or fiddled with cameras nearby, the children thrown together in the midst of all the play equipment gradually gravitated toward one another and began playing with kids they’d never seen before. Now and again tears would flow in a dispute over a toy, but even then the grownups tried hard not to get involved. It seemed to be an unwritten rule at this park.
Digging in the sand with her plastic shovel, Akari paused to watch two girls her age playing house in the middle of the large sandbox. One of them wore a red T-shirt, the other a sunflower-print dress, and they were giggling and chattering over a set of colorful plastic dishes, their voices ringing crisply into the air. A little boy tottered up from the far side of the sandbox and eyed them as if wanting to be included. At first they just stared back, but then the girl in the sunflower print picked up a fork and handed it to him, affecting what must have been the mannerisms of her own mother.
While pretending not to watch, Sayoko kept a surreptitious eye on the threesome in the middle of the sandbox and on Akari shoveling all by herself in one corner. Every so often she saw her daughter cast a glance toward the others, then quickly go back to her digging.
Sayoko often marveled at how much the daughter took after the mother. No matter how badly the girl wanted to join a game, she was too shy to simply walk up and ask if she could play, so she waited timidly nearby, hoping to be invited. Of course, children seldom noticed such things, and by the time Akari cast her next sidelong glance, the others might have run off to play somewhere else. As Sayoko watched Akari’s eyes dart back and forth, she invariably recognized in them the movements of her own eyes. This was exactly how she’d looked at the mothers in all those other parks, where she’d found it so hard to fit in. And each time she realized this, it gave her a deep sense of failure as a mother. If only she were a more self-confident and outgoing parent who could strike up easy conversations with whomever she met, pretending not to notice the walls that cliques tried to erect, then surely Akari would be growing into a more self-confident and outgoing child as well.
“Woman on the Other Shore” copyright © 2004 by Mitsuyo Kakuta. English translation copyright © 2007 by Wayne P. Lammers. Used by permission of The Michael Staley Agency, Inc. All rights reserved.

Answer 2

@AP

Answer 3

Well, as the word “ostracized” is used in the first paragraph, that narrows your options down to which 3? @bill533

Answer 4

B and F ?

Answer 5

I’d say you’re right. I hadn’t read through the options carefully, but B.) seems to be correct because “snub” is a synonym for “ostracize” and F.) describes the same situation of ignoring or pushing someone away rudely.

Answer 6

PART A

What most contributes to Sayoko's concern for her daughter?


A. her daughter's fragile emotional state


B. her daughter's enjoyment of being alone


C. her daughter's access to social outdoor activities


D. her daughter's lack of confidence that mirrors her own

I chose D

Which quotation best supports the answer to Part A?



A. “She worried that without the park and its opportunities for meeting other children, her little girl might never develop the social skills she needed.” (paragraph 2)


B. “Digging in the sand with her plastic shovel, Akari paused to watch two girls her age playing house in the middle of a large sandbox.” (paragraph 7)


C. “Of course, children seldom noticed such things, and by the time Akari cast her next sidelong glance, the others might have run off to play somewhere else.” (paragraph 9)


D. “This was exactly how she’d looked at the mothers in all those other parks, where she’d found it so hard to fit in.” (paragraph 9)

Answer 7

@AP

Answer 8

Yes, D.) for both questions are correct @bill533

Answer 9

PART A

In this passage from Woman on the Other Shore, how does the author create a sense of sympathy for Sayoko?

A. by limiting information about Sayoko’s circumstances


B. by emphasizing Sayoko’s rambling and disconnected thoughts


C. by highlighting Sayoko’s misunderstanding of her situation


D. by focusing almost completely on Sayoko’s thoughts and observations

I chose C


PART B

Select three pieces of evidence from the passage that illustrate the effect in the answer to Part A.

A. “She saw that they were following the lead of one woman in particular, and although they were careful not to be too open about it, avoiding any obvious snubs, they were in effect ostracizing one of the other mothers.” (paragraph 1)


B. “It didn’t mean they thought she was a bad person. They would naturally assume that someone as much older as she was would have different perspectives and be harder to open up to.” (paragraph 1)


C. “Even so, once she realized what was going on, Sayoko found it depressing to go to the park, and she gave up the daily outings for a while.” (paragraph 2)


D. “But it’s not like we’re hopping around by choice, she muttered as if making excuses to someone as she left the house with Akari in search of each new park. We’re just trying to find a park where we can feel at home.” (paragraph 4)


E. “This particular park, about a twenty-minute walk from their building, was the largest they’d found in their travels, and it drew a more mixed crowd than the communities of young mothers Sayoko had found so characteristic of the smaller parks. Here she saw fathers walking their babies, or older folks playing with their grandchildren, and even the mothers were much more varied in age and dress.” (paragraph 5)


F. “Not only that, but, as a matter of courtesy, all the grownups ignored each other; nobody ever tried to talk to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. Deciding she preferred it that way, Sayoko had been bringing her daughter here for nearly six months now.” (paragraph 5)


G. “Now and again tears would flow in a dispute over a toy, but even then the grownups tried hard not to get involved. It seemed to be an unwritten rule at this park.” (paragraph 6)

Answer 10

@AP