Read the excerpt from "Broken Chain." His mother clipped coupons from magazines and newspapers, kept a vegetable garden in the summer, and shopped at Penney’s and K-Mart. Their family ate a lot of frijoles, which was OK because nothing else tasted so good, though one time Alfonso had Chinese pot stickers and thought they were the next best food in the world.

Why does Soto most likely include this characterization of Alfonso’s mother in the story?

to show that she uses a variety of foods when she cooks for her family
to support the idea that the family does not have money to spend on braces
to show what a close relationship Alfonso has with his mother
to support the idea that Alfonso does not always appreciate his family

D). To support the idea that Alfonso does not always appreciate his family.

Explanation:

Characterization is elucidated as the process through which the authors reveal the personality(appearance and traits) of a character. It assists the readers to understand a character and relate him/her to the series of events effectively.

In the given excerpt, Soto involves characterization of Alfonso's mother through various descriptions like 'his mother clipped coupons, kept a vegetable garden, shopped at Penney's' to reinforce the idea that Alfonso does not always appreciate his family. But he also critiques them the other times as he valued the outer beauty or appearance more than the inner purity of soul. Thus, this instance substantiates this claim yet he later realizes when breaks the chain of his bike that 'all that matters is the inner beauty.' Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

poner/ponerse

  mi hermano se pone enojado.

  mi hermano pone el plato en la cocina.

ir/irse

  mis abuelos se van a almorzar.

voy a bailar con mi novio esta noche.

lavar/lavarse

  ? te lavas las manos?

  tengo que lavar los platos.