AP English Literature and Composition Quiz
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LONGER FICTION OR DRAMA
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In the following dramatic exchange, two siblings—MARA (older, recently returned to the family apartment after a long absence) and JONAH (younger, who has been caring for their ailing mother)—speak late at night in the kitchen. A pot simmers on the stove; an untouched suitcase sits by the door.
MARA: You still keep the kettle on the back burner. Like she's going to call for tea any second.
JONAH: Habit. Or hope. Same thing in this place.
MARA: I could help. If you'd let me.
JONAH: Help is a verb you use when you're passing through.
MARA: That's not fair.
JONAH: Fair? You want fair—where were you when the insurance letters came? When she forgot my name and called me "your father"? When the landlord started knocking like he owned our lungs?
MARA: I sent money.
JONAH: In envelopes with no return address.
MARA: I didn't want—
JONAH: You didn't want to be found.
MARA: I didn't want you to see me failing.
JONAH: We're all failing. The difference is I stayed to watch it.
MARA: I came back.
JONAH: You came back when it was quiet enough to hear yourself think.
MARA: What do you want from me, Jonah?
JONAH: I want you to stop saying "help" like it's a gift you're offering. It's a debt. And I want you to sit down—just once—without checking the door.
Which interpretation best describes the relationship between Mara and Jonah as revealed through the exchange?
(Consider the implications of the bolded lines: "You didn't want to be found." and "You came back when it was quiet enough to hear yourself think.")
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