The author suggests that the poor families moving westward during the Great Depression lost their civility and became mistrustful of one another.

The author suggests that the poor families moving westward during the Great Depression lost their civility and became mistrustful of one another.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not stated
• D. Irrelevant

Answer: (B)

At the heart of this item is how the text treats social bonds among migrant families. Steinbeck shows the journey as a test of endurance that often strengthens communal ties rather than eroding civility. Despite hunger, displacement, and danger, the migrants frequently help one another, share scarce meals, protect the vulnerable, and form makeshift communities in camps. The hardships reveal resilience and a shared sense of dignity rather than a breakdown into mistrust. When harsh acts do appear, they are usually framed as responses to oppressive systems—banks, landlords, and authorities—rather than as a natural result of the migrants' own loss of civility. Therefore, describing their behavior as losing civility and becoming mistrustful of one another doesn’t fit the text’s emphasis on cooperation and mutual aid amid adversity.

At the heart of this item is how the text treats social bonds among migrant families. Steinbeck shows the journey as a test of endurance that often strengthens communal ties rather than eroding civility. Despite hunger, displacement, and danger, the migrants frequently help one another, share scarce meals, protect the vulnerable, and form makeshift communities in camps. The hardships reveal resilience and a shared sense of dignity rather than a breakdown into mistrust. When harsh acts do appear, they are usually framed as responses to oppressive systems—banks, landlords, and authorities—rather than as a natural result of the migrants' own loss of civility. Therefore, describing their behavior as losing civility and becoming mistrustful of one another doesn’t fit the text’s emphasis on cooperation and mutual aid amid adversity.