Read the excerpts from The Namesake . Excerpt 1: He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn’t know. Who doesn’t know him. His parents tell him that they each have two names, too, as do all their Bengali friends in America, and all their relatives in Calcutta. It’s a part of growing up, they tell him, part of being a Bengali. Excerpt 2: It is nothing like the schooling Gogol’s parents have known, fountain pens and polished black shoes and notebooks and good names and sir or madam at a tender age. Here the only official ritual is pledging allegiance first thing in the morning to the American flag. Which statement best tells how the conflict in the first excerpt is similar to the conflict in the second excerpt?
Answer
A
Gogol’s fear of attending American school conflicts with his parents’ excitement about the new experiences he will have.
B
Gogol’s desire to have two names like his parents conflicts with his parents’ desire for him to adopt American customs.
C
Gogol’s wish to return to India where his relatives live conflicts with his parents’ wishes to start a new life in America.
D
Gogol’s experience of growing up in an American culture conflicts with his parents’ experience of growing up in India.
Explanation
In the first excerpt, Gogol feels uneasy about the Bengali practice of having two names, while his parents see it as a normal part of growing up. In the second, American schooling differs from the schooling his parents experienced in India. Both excerpts show a contrast between Gogol growing up in American culture and his parents growing up in Indian culture, which is choice D.
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