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Question

Difficulty: MediumHistorical and Cultural Context

Read the following translated excerpt from the novella *...y no se lo tragó la tierra* (1971) by the Chicano author Tomás Rivera:

'Why? Why did we have to come here? The heat is suffocating, and the dust from the fields gets into our throats, making it hard to breathe. My father fell ill yesterday, his face pale and sweating under the blazing sun, but the boss said if he doesn't work, we don't get paid. We are trapped in this endless cycle of traveling from state to state, following the crops, living in chicken coops that they call housing. My mother prays every night to the saints, lighting small candles, asking for a miracle, but the sun just keeps burning us. I looked at my younger brother, his small hands already calloused from picking cotton, and felt a deep anger. Why must we suffer like this while others live in cool houses with clean water? Is this what God wants for us? I threw a stone at the ground and cursed the earth, waiting for it to swallow me, but nothing happened. The earth does not care about our pain.'

Based on this excerpt, which of the following best explains how the historical and cultural context of mid-twentieth-century migrant agricultural workers shapes the central conflict?

  1. A
    The narrator's frustration stems from a personal desire to abandon agricultural work to pursue higher academic education in the city.
  2. B
    The passage illustrates how severe weather patterns and natural disasters inevitably destroy agricultural economies.
  3. The systemic exploitation of migrant laborers drives the narrator's existential crisis and rebellion against traditional religious resignation.Answer
  4. D
    The narrator's anger reflects modern labor union demands for environmental regulations and green farming practices.

Answer

The correct answer explains that the systemic exploitation of migrant laborers drives the narrator's existential crisis and rebellion against traditional religious resignation.
The correct answer is correct because the excerpt details the harsh realities of mid-twentieth-century migrant farmworkers, including substandard housing, child labor, and economic vulnerability. These conditions trigger the narrator's feelings of injustice and anger, leading to an existential crisis and a direct challenge to the traditional religious resignation exemplified by the mother.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the setting and physical circumstances described in the passage.
The text depicts severe heat, substandard housing, child labor, and economic coercion where sick workers are denied pay.
This establishes the historical context of mid-twentieth-century migrant farmworkers.
2
Compare the narrator's response with the mother's response to these conditions.
The mother responds with traditional religious devotion and hope for a miracle, while the narrator responds with anger, doubt in God's justice, and rebellion.
This highlights the internal and generational conflict shaped by their marginalized cultural status.
3
Select the option that links these contextual realities to the main thematic conflict.
The option focusing on systemic exploitation and the narrator's crisis matches the text, while other choices introduce modern concepts or misinterpret details.
This identifies the correct choice by evaluating the options against the text's historical and cultural significance.

Key Concept

Historical and Cultural Context
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Topics

Historical and Cultural Context

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