Read the passage from “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis.”

Question

Hunger stole upon me so slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly. The hunger I had known before this had been no grim, hostile stranger; it had been a normal hunger that had made me beg constantly for bread, and when I ate a crust or two I was satisfied. But this new hunger baffled me, scared me, made me angry and insistent. Whenever I begged for food now my mother would pour me a cup of tea which would still the clamor in my stomach for a moment or two; but a little later I would feel hunger nudging my ribs, twisting my empty guts until they ached. I would grow dizzy and my vision would dim. I became less active in my play, and for the first time in my life I had to pause and think of what was happening to me.

What is the central idea of this passage?

1. The author often fasted to maintain his active life. 
2. The author’s hunger was only a product of his active imagination. 
3. The author’s hunger had a terrible impact on his life and his health.
4. The author often did not know why he felt dizzy. 

Answer 1

The author uses several metaphors to show the impact of hunger on their day to day life, from being awaken by hunger at night, to feeling pain in their stomach or guts, to not having the same energy as before for playing, to even being dizzy and not being able to see as well as before. The answer to what is the central idea of this paragraph would therefore be:

3) The author’s hunger had a terrible impact on his life and his health.

I hope this helps!

Anna