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Information and Ideas / Inferences Difficulty: Medium

Ana Castillo’s 1986 novel The Mixquiahuala Letters is a story told entirely through expressive letters from the narrator to her friend—letters that Castillo suggests could be read in several different orders. As they began reading it in class, some students remarked that they found the novel’s letter format daunting and its treatment of gender relations old-fashioned. The professor, however, pointed out that the novel is written in modern-sounding language and addresses issues that still matter today, suggesting that The Mixquiahuala Letters blank

Which choice most logically completes the text?

has more to say about gender relations than other novels from the same period.

is more relevant to contemporary audiences than it may seem at first.

is easier to read than many contemporary novels that focus on friendship.

is best understood after multiple readings in different orders.

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Explanation

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ana Castillo’s 1986 novel The Mixquiahuala Letters. The text states that the novel consists entirely of letters from the narrator to her friend—a format that some students reading the novel in a class found intimidating. According to the text, those students also found the novel’s treatment of gender to be old-fashioned. In response to the students’ concerns, their professor emphasized the novel’s relevance: it’s written in modern-sounding language and addresses issues that still matter. This, in turn, suggests that The Mixquiahuala Letters is more relevant to contemporary audiences than it may initially seem.

Choice A is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students only mentions The Mixquiahuala Letters: it doesn’t compare the novel to others from the same period. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the professor’s response to the students compares The Mixquiahuala Letters to contemporary novels about friendship. Choice D is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students doesn’t address the idea of reading the novel’s letters multiple times and in different orders.