Read the passage from "names/nombres" by julia alvarez.

introducing them to my friends was a further trial to me. these relatives had
such complicated names and there were so many of them, and their relationships to myself were so convoluted. there was my tía josefina, who was not really an aunt but a much older cousin. and her daughter, aida margarita, who was adopted, una hija de crianza. my uncle of affection, tío josé, brought my madrina tía amelia and her comadre tía pilar. my friends rarely had more than a “mom and dad” to introduce.

based on this passage, what inference can be made about alvarez’s perception of her friends?

a. she worries what they will think about her and her family.
b. she thinks she and her friends have much in common.
c. she wishes they were all immigrants as well.
d. she feels sorry for them, because they have few relatives.

Read the excerpt from "object lesson, part 2." "no sign of the original envelope? " "no." "i found two boys with bills — in each case a single, too. david strager and joey buell. no envelope." louise's brows met. ellery glanced up at the clock. 9: 07. he strolled over to her. "don't show them you're worried. there's nothing to worry about. we have twenty-eight minutes." he raised his voice, smiling. which statement explains the inference ellery makes and why he makes it? he infers that miss carpenter thinks they are not going to find the thief because he sees her facial expression. he infers that it will take twenty-eight more minutes to find the missing money because that is all the time he has. he infers that the original envelope will not be found because neither david strager nor joey buell has it. he infers that david strager and joey buell took the money because they each have a dollar bill.