1 Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative.
Read this excerpt from “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan.
When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her.
How does this detail develop the central idea?
It depicts how the author was embarrassed by her mother’s use of English.
It reveals why the author felt frustration with her own mother.
It supports the idea that people judged the author’s mother based on her language.
It explains why the author’s mother was not able to speak fluent English.