How to Get 36 on ACT Reading: 11 Strategies from a Perfect Scorer - Free Printable

To solve this question, we need to look at the passage and find what word or idea is most closely linked with "narrator's mind" regarding her mother.

Let’s break it down step by step:

1. The question asks:
“As it is described in the passage, sewing seems most closely associated in the narrator’s mind with her mother’s:”

So we are looking for how the *narrator* (the person telling the story) connects sewing with her mother — not necessarily how others see it, but how she personally feels or thinks about it.

2. Let’s scan the passage for key moments where the narrator talks about her mother and sewing.

- Lines 5–7: “My mother hummed as she sewed. She guided the fabric this way and that.” → This shows a calm, rhythmic, almost peaceful image of her mother sewing.

- Lines 8–9: “In 1938, she had graduated from a school of costume design... It was a time when the dream of America never seemed finer.” → Suggests pride, aspiration, creativity.

- Lines 40–45: Describes the father fixing his tie before dinner-dance, and the narrator watching him — then says: “I always thought that Dinner-Dance Eve had some of the magic of Christmas.” → Not directly about sewing, but sets tone of nostalgia and warmth.

- Lines 65–70: Describes wealthy women living in country homes, playing tennis, etc. Then: “Once after a luncheon in the city, a woman came to our house for a fitting... ‘Won’t you please come in? May I please take your coat?’” → Shows social context, but not directly about mother’s sewing.

- Lines 75–85: Key section!
> “Like an eagle, her words slipped regally down a great distance and struck with awful ease.
> ‘After the fitting, my father was ashamed and angry.’
> ‘Actually, I do not like this work,’ he stormed.
> ‘You do not have to do this; we do not need this kind of money.’ He waved his arms dismissively at Oksa-chan’s sewing machine. ‘They come and look at our home with contempt. You kneel at their feet like a servant.’”

→ Here, the father is upset because someone looked down on them during a fitting. He sees the sewing as demeaning — “kneel at their feet like a servant.”

- Lines 85–90:
> “Oksa-chan was untactful. Eloquent in anger, she blazed over the pronunciation of words that ordinarily would have left pondering pauses in her speech. ‘I do not care what they think of me, of our home. They cannot affect our value.’ My mother stepped in front of her sewing machine, as if to shield it from scorn. ‘My 90 work gives me happiness.’ She squarely faced my father. ‘I do not care if you speak as Husband,’ she said. ‘I am a Designer!’”

→ THIS IS CRUCIAL.

The mother stands up for herself. She says:
- “I do not care what they think...”
- “My work gives me happiness.”
- “I am a Designer!”

And importantly: “My mother stepped in front of her sewing machine, as if to shield it from scorn.”

→ This shows that the sewing machine (and thus sewing) represents something precious to her — her identity, her dignity, her self-worth.

3. Now let’s look at the answer choices:

A. low wages — The passage doesn’t focus on how much money she made. In fact, the father says “we do not need this kind of money,” implying it’s not about survival. Also, the mother says her work gives her happiness — not about pay.

B. compassion — There’s no strong evidence that sewing is tied to compassion. She’s defending her own worth, not helping others emotionally through sewing.

C. self-worth — YES. She says “My work gives me happiness” and “I am a Designer!” She shields the machine from scorn — meaning she values it deeply as part of who she is. The narrator witnesses this moment — so in the narrator’s mind, sewing becomes associated with her mother’s sense of self-respect and identity.

D. thriftiness — Thriftiness means being careful with money. Again, the father says they don’t need the money, and the mother isn’t doing it to save pennies — she’s doing it because it makes her happy and defines her.

4. Therefore, the best answer is C. self-worth.

The narrator sees her mother stand up proudly for her craft, declare herself a designer, and protect her sewing machine from judgment — all showing that sewing = her mother’s sense of value and identity.

Final Answer:
C