In the opening sentences of the passage (“Now I know . . . color of my hair!”), the author refers to Alice Walker primarily to impress her audience with the breadth of her literary knowledge
impress her audience with the breadth of her literary knowledge
A

flaunt her access to privileged information about the planning of the commencement ceremony
flaunt her access to privileged information about the planning of the commencement ceremony
B

congratulate her audience for inviting her instead of a lesser-known speaker
congratulate her audience for inviting her instead of a lesser-known speaker
C

acknowledge the potentially embarrassing circumstances under which she is delivering her speech
acknowledge the potentially embarrassing circumstances under which she is delivering her speech
D

suggest that she pays more attention to her personal appearance than do other celebrities