Structure and Culture in "Twelfth Song of the Thunder"
Question 1 • SS26 - ERWC, Semester 2 CR
Read this passage from Dragonwings by Laurence Yep.I had been in the demon land for only ten months, so it would have been about January of the demons' year 1904, when we met Mr. Alger. I remember it was a gray, wintry day. We were making the rounds when we saw one of the horseless carriages stranded by the sidewalk and a demon in a big overcoat standing beside it. His driving cap was pushed back, and he was scratching his forehead in a puzzled way. The metal hood on the front of the horseless had been folded back on top so you could see into its innards."Whoa, Red Rabbit." Father pulled at the reins and Red Rabbit stopped. Father set the brake, and as an extra precaution he put the wooden block behind the wheel."Can I help?" he asked.The demon was a big, cheerful-looking demon with a bland, round face. He eyed father. "I dunno, John." Many demons called Tang men John because, they insisted, they never could get the hang of our real names. "You know anything about horselesses?"Which detail from the setting leads Father and the man to communicate?
Answer
A
the broken-down horseless carriage
B
the gray, wintry day
C
the man’s cheerful-looking face
D
the horse, Red Rabbit
Explanation
The man is standing beside a horseless carriage that has stopped working, with its hood open. Father sees the problem and asks, “Can I help?” The broken-down carriage is the setting detail that gives them a reason to communicate; the weather and the man’s appearance do not.
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