Which of these excerpts from "Once in a Lifetime" by Jhumpa Lahiri most clearly exemplifies diversity within socioeconomic statu

Question

13 days ago

6

Which of these excerpts from "Once in a Lifetime" by Jhumpa Lahiri most clearly exemplifies diversity within socioeconomic statu

s?
1. "It's a cigarette you smell," he said when he came back to bed. "Someone has been smoking in the bathroom."
"I didn't know Dr. Choudhuri smoked," my mother said.
"Should we have put out an ashtray?"

2. "First class!" my mother exclaimed, with an intake of breath. "How did you end up there?"
"It was my fortieth birthday gift," your mother explained.
She looked over at your father, smiling. "Once in a lifetime, right?"
"Who knows?" he said, clearly proud of the extravagance. "It could become a terrible habit."

3. "There's a stream back there," you said, "in those woods."
My mother became nervous then, warning you not to go there, as she had so often warned me, as I had warned you the night you came, but your parents did not share her concern. What had you photographed? They asked instead.

4. "Bombay is nothing like Calcutta," you added, as if reading my mind.
"Is it close to the Taj Mahal?"
"No." You looked at me carefully, as if fully registering my presence for the first time. "Haven"t you ever looked at a map?"

English

2 answers:

Bond [2.8K] · Answer 1 · 2026-02-20T15:38:25+03:00

Bond [2.8K]13 days ago

6 0

2: it seems more logical and includes more details as well, so I would choose 2

Flura [2.5K] · Answer 2 · 2026-02-20T15:40:11+03:00

Answer: 2. "First class!" my mother exclaimed, with an intake of breath. "How did you end up there?"

"It was my fortieth birthday gift," your mother shared.

She glanced at your father while smiling. "Once in a lifetime, right?"

"Who knows?" he replied, evidently proud of the luxury. "It could lead to an undesirable habit."

Explanation: Hema's parents are visibly surprised by the more affluent lifestyle of Kaushik, highlighting the disparity in socioeconomic backgrounds between the two families as well. The story depicts spending patterns influenced by upper-class lifestyles seen as an adoption of western norms.