In “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis,” which details support the central idea that the author’s mother helped teach him strength?

Question

In “The Rights to the Streets of Memphis,” which details support the central idea that the author’s mother helped teach him strength?

Select all that apply.

1. The author’s mother talked to him for hours about how hard their lives were.
2. The author’s mother got a job and provided for the family after their father left.
3. The author’s mother forced him to stand up to bullies.
4. The author’s mother tried to make a joke to distract him from his hunger.

Answer 1

The correct answers are:

1. The author's mother got a job and provided for the family after their father left.

2. The author's mother forced him to stand up to bullies.

3. The author's mother tried to make a joke to distract him from his hunger.

These details support the central idea that the author's mother helped teach him strength because:

- Getting a job and providing for the family shows her resilience and determination (Option 2).

- Forcing him to stand up to bullies teaches him to confront challenges head-on (Option 3).

- Trying to make a joke to distract him from hunger shows her ability to find joy in difficult situations and teaches him to cope with adversity (Option 4).

Option 1, "The author's mother talked to him for hours about how hard their lives were," might seem like it could be a correct answer, but it actually doesn't support the central idea. This detail might even suggest the opposite, that the mother was focusing on the difficulties rather than teaching strength.