Question 16 • CA-Common Core English Language Arts 11 B
Read the excerpt from The Namesake.At the end of his first day he is sent home with a letter to his parents from Mrs. Lapidus, folded and stapled to a string around his neck, explaining that due to their son’s preference he will be known as Gogol at school. What about the parents’ preference? Ashima and Ashoke wonder, shaking their heads. But since neither of them feels comfortable pressing the issue, they have no choice but to give in.Which choice best states a conflict revealed in this excerpt?
Answer
A
an external conflict between the educational values and viewpoints of Mrs. Lapidus and those of Gogol’s parents
B
an internal conflict between Gogol’s wish to be called by his new name in school and his desire to please Mrs. Lapidus
C
an external conflict between Gogol’s mother and father over the importance of Gogol using a different name in school
D
an internal conflict between Mrs. Lapidus’s desire to respect Gogol’s wishes and her desire to respect his parents’ wishes
Explanation
The conflict is external because it involves differing viewpoints among people. Mrs. Lapidus accepts Gogol’s preference to be called Gogol at school, while Ashima and Ashoke wonder about their own preference but feel unable to press it. This makes choice A, the conflict between Mrs. Lapidus’s approach and Gogol’s parents’ viewpoint, the best answer.
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