Read the excerpt from Enrique’s Journey. Today, Enrique is terrified of another beating. Every time someone new jumps onto his c
ar, he tenses. Fear, he realizes, helps to keep him awake, so he decides to induce it. He climbs to the top of the tank car and takes a running leap. With arms spread, as if he were flying, he jumps to one swaying boxcar, then to another. Some have four- to five-foot gaps. Others are nine feet apart. How does the narrative technique of characterization support the author’s purpose in this excerpt? It shows how difficult travel has been for Enrique. It illustrates the one thing that Enrique is afraid of. It explains why Enrique does not want to be part of a gang. It demonstrates that Enrique takes drastic measures to survive.
The trip to Mars will take about seven months and about 300 million miles (480 million kilometers). During that journey, engineers have several opportunities to adjust the spacecraft's flight path, to make sure its speed and direction are best for arrival at Jezero Crater on Mars.
