Which sentence best describes the cultural context of the passage?


The passage takes place in ancient times, and the main character is a farmer.


The passage takes place in ancient times, and the main character is a farmer who reads letters from his great-grandfather.


The passage takes place in modern times, and the main character is an Italian farmer who learns about his American heritage.


The passage takes place in modern times, and the main character is an American farmer who learns about his Italian and farming heritage.

Reading Passage
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Legacy

1 As a young child, I remember listening to stories about Angelo Pagano, my great-grandfather who emigrated from Italy to the United States in the early 1900s. I had always envisioned him traveling on a ship like the Titanic, sailing across the Atlantic in a luxury liner to his new home in America.

2 Those fanciful images faded one warm autumn day when, as I was cleaning out the attic, I uncovered a collection of old letters tied together with a worn green ribbon. The paper was yellow and dry and started to crumble as I touched it. As I carefully untied the ribbon and unfolded the top letter, I realized the writing was Italian. My knowledge of the language is limited to spaghetti and espresso, but from the greeting at the beginning of the letter and the signature at the end, I could tell that the letter was written by my great-grandfather to Sofia, his beloved wife and my great-grandmother. Immediately, I decided to have the letters translated into English so that I could learn more about Angelo and the rest of my family.

3 A few weeks later, I received the translations. I learned so much about my family and about my heritage through Angelo's words. I learned about a man's hopes for a better future. Here, these few letters offer a small glance into his past, and my present.