Answer: E) My mother considered the idea of a child sleeping alone a cruel American practice.
This sentence shows that the mother had a cultural background that was different from the American one. Even though for most Americans, a child sleeping alone would be common, for her it was a cruel practice. The excerpt shows that Hema's mother does not endorse all American practices, which indicates she has a different cultural heritage, in this case, a Bengali one.
Puritans as a political entity largely disappeared, but Puritan attitudes and ethics continued to exert an influence on American society. They made a virtue of qualities that made for economic success—self-reliance, frugality, industry, and energy—and through them influenced modern social and economic life.
Based on this excerpt, the author's purpose for writing is to heal. In literature, the term purpose refers to a person's reason for writing, such as to inform, entertain, explain, or persuade. The author's goal is to convince the reader to agree with the author. This means the author wants the reader to think or act in a specific way, such as this case, the author's purpose is to persuade the reader that to heal is the is the purpose for writing.
The protagonist is the main person in the literary work, that is usually followed during the work and who often has to face a conflict or a difficulty.
In "The Little Match Girl" it's the girl herself: <span>b. The little match girl</span>
