A Nonfiction Account of Hurricane Katrina by Dave Eggers
Question 8 • ELA 11B-CR
Read the excerpt from part 4 of Zeitoun.Zeitoun had picked up and dropped off friends and relatives at the station a handful of times over the years. Fronted by a lush lawn and palm trees, the Union Passenger Terminal had opened in 1954, an art deco-style building once aspiring to grandness but since overtaken by a certain grey municipal malaise. There was a whimsical candy-colored sculpture on the lawn that looked like a bunch of child’s toys glued together without reason or order.Why does the author include this description?
Answer
A
to present Zeitoun as a New Orleans resident and family man
B
to criticize the architectural choices in downtown New Orleans
C
to illustrate the grim, military realities of post-Katrina New Orleans
D
to show Zeitoun’s discomfort in the grand downtown area
Explanation
The excerpt says Zeitoun had picked up and dropped off friends and relatives at the station “a handful of times over the years.” This detail connects him to the city and shows his role in caring for family and friends, presenting him as a New Orleans resident and family man. The criticism of the station’s appearance is descriptive, not the main purpose of the passage.
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