Question

Jurgis, who is young and energetic, quickly finds work, as do Marija Berczynskas, Ona’s cousin, and Jonas, the brother of Ona’s stepmother, Teta Elzbieta. The family signs an agreement to buy a house, but it turns out to be a swindle; the agreement is full of hidden costs, and the house is shoddy and poorly maintained. As the family’s living expenses increase, even Ona and young Stanislovas, one of Teta Elzbieta’s children, are forced to look for jobs. Jobs in Packingtown involve back-breaking labor, however, conducted in unsafe conditions with little regard for individual workers. Furthermore, the immigrant community is fraught with crime and corruption. Jurgis’s father, Dede Antanas, finds a job only after agreeing to pay another man a third of his wages for helping him obtain the job. But the job is too difficult for the old man, and it quickly kills him.”

3. Using the context to infer meaning: Use the second paragraph to answer the following question (3 pts):
a) What do you think “swindle” means?

b) What words/phrase in the text leads you to that meaning?

Answer 1

@Elsa213

Answer 2

@AngeI

Answer 3

Swindle is a trick
Its like
Hey Ima charge you 20 dollars for this
But they don't mention how they charge extra money a month
For b it would be "the agreement is full of hidden costs"