When I was ten years old, I had to arrive home by 8 o'clock in the evening. When I was thirteen years old, I had to arrive home
by 8 o'clock in the evening. When I was sixteen years old, I had to arrive home by 8 o'clock in the evening. Shortly after my sixteenth birthday, I decided that I was going to ask my mom if I could get a car, but I never went through with it. Knowing how my mother would respond, I was reluctant to ask her such a question. So, rather than ask her if I could get a car, I decided to start out smaller and ask her why I had to be home so early in the evening. I built up my courage, walked into the living room, and asked her. She answered the same way she answered the majority of my questions, "rules are rules." From the point of view of a sixteen-year-old who grew up in a fairly sheltered environment, her logic was flawless. Things are the way they are because that's the way they are.
As I grew older, her logic became less convincing, and "rules are rules" held less sway over me. Surely, my mom knew that it would happen, that I would break from her rules and strike out on my own. After all, she is the person who encouraged me to go to a college that's halfway across the country from my hometown. I'm certain that she knew that I would exercise my newfound freedom when I arrived there, but I don't think she could have imagined how far I would take that freedom.
Which of these is an inference that can be supported by the passage above?
