The paragraphs of the following essay have been scrambled so that they are out of order. Read them and then answer the question(s) that follow.
Two Childhoods
___ (1) Just as our lifestyles differed, so too did our personalities. (2) Relatives say that my mother was a loving, caring child who was always willing to help. (3) She was praised for being clever and vibrant, levelheaded and respectful to others. (4) My mother was strong-willed and spoke her mind when she saw fit, but she placed few demands on her parents for toys or fancy clothes. (5) Somehow her environment, which had instilled in her an appreciation of nature and living things, was enough.
_ (6) My childhood, on the other hand, was spent in New York City, without animals, scenic surroundings, or close-knit neighbors. (7) Mine was a lifestyle of fast activity crammed into a tight schedule. (8) Nature was replaced by shops and businesses, trees by tall buildings. (9) My knowledge was not based on the simple things at hand, but on expensive toys, the latest clothes, and the newest sneakers. (11) Compared to my mother's country existence, my city childhood seems humdrum ⎯ a constant series of trips to the park or movies, visits to the grocery store or shopping center, picnics at the amusement park or beach, and a few birthday parties thrown in.
_ (12) When I was young, my mother told me stories about her childhood. (13) I loved her tales and still think of them. (14) It was intriguing to hear about life thirty years ago before mine began. (15) What fascinated me most, however, were the differences between her youth and mine.
_ (16) I, on the other hand, was considered a bit too extroverted, selfish, and stubborn. (17) I reveled in being petulant, pigheaded, demanding, and unstable. (18) Although I could be loving, I cleverly used this trait to my advantage in an attempt to manipulate my parents and get the beautiful toys and clothes I wanted. (19) After all, these gave me all the aesthetic appreciation I needed. (20) In fact, I was a brazenfaced brat.
_ (21) Looking back, I think it would have been nice as a child to have fallen off a few trees or driven a scooter at maniacal speeds or even milked a cow or crushed some coffee beans in a mortar. (22) Yes, that would have been nice. (23) It really would have been.
___ (24) My mother grew up in the country. (25) She spent most of her young years on a farm in South Carolina, surrounded by animals, orchards, cane fields, and agricultural machinery. (26) By the time she was six, she was a walking agricultural textbook. (27) Hers was a simple, serene, and comfortable life within a close-knit, neighborly environment. (28) My mother's days were filled with swimming in nearby rivers and lakes, climbing and falling off trees, scooter-riding down country lanes, playing marbles with siblings and friends, bird watching and mending of wings, and building fences and tree houses.
⎯ Cheryl Parris, Student
This essay is a

A) classification essay.
B) persuasive essay.
C) comparison and contrast essay.

Question

The paragraphs of the following essay have been scrambled so that they are out of order. Read them and then answer the question(s) that follow.
Two Childhoods
_____ (1) Just as our lifestyles differed, so too did our personalities. (2) Relatives say that my mother was a loving, caring child who was always willing to help. (3) She was praised for being clever and vibrant, levelheaded and respectful to others. (4) My mother was strong-willed and spoke her mind when she saw fit, but she placed few demands on her parents for toys or fancy clothes. (5) Somehow her environment, which had instilled in her an appreciation of nature and living things, was enough.
_____ (6) My childhood, on the other hand, was spent in New York City, without animals, scenic surroundings, or close-knit neighbors. (7) Mine was a lifestyle of fast activity crammed into a tight schedule. (8) Nature was replaced by shops and businesses, trees by tall buildings. (9) My knowledge was not based on the simple things at hand, but on expensive toys, the latest clothes, and the newest sneakers. (11) Compared to my mother's country existence, my city childhood seems humdrum ⎯ a constant series of trips to the park or movies, visits to the grocery store or shopping center, picnics at the amusement park or beach, and a few birthday parties thrown in.
_____ (12) When I was young, my mother told me stories about her childhood. (13) I loved her tales and still think of them. (14) It was intriguing to hear about life thirty years ago before mine began. (15) What fascinated me most, however, were the differences between her youth and mine.
_____ (16) I, on the other hand, was considered a bit too extroverted, selfish, and stubborn. (17) I reveled in being petulant, pigheaded, demanding, and unstable. (18) Although I could be loving, I cleverly used this trait to my advantage in an attempt to manipulate my parents and get the beautiful toys and clothes I wanted. (19) After all, these gave me all the aesthetic appreciation I needed. (20) In fact, I was a brazenfaced brat.
_____ (21) Looking back, I think it would have been nice as a child to have fallen off a few trees or driven a scooter at maniacal speeds or even milked a cow or crushed some coffee beans in a mortar. (22) Yes, that would have been nice. (23) It really would have been.
_____ (24) My mother grew up in the country. (25) She spent most of her young years on a farm in South Carolina, surrounded by animals, orchards, cane fields, and agricultural machinery. (26) By the time she was six, she was a walking agricultural textbook. (27) Hers was a simple, serene, and comfortable life within a close-knit, neighborly environment. (28) My mother's days were filled with swimming in nearby rivers and lakes, climbing and falling off trees, scooter-riding down country lanes, playing marbles with siblings and friends, bird watching and mending of wings, and building fences and tree houses.
⎯ Cheryl Parris, Student
This essay is a

A) classification essay.
B) persuasive essay.
C) comparison and contrast essay.

Shivam Sharma · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : C, Explanation :  The essay compares and contrasts the childhood experiences of the author and her mother, highlighting the differences in their lifestyles, environments, personalities, and values. The purpose of the essay is to explore the effects of childhood on one's character, outlook, and behavior. Therefore, it is a comparison and contrast essay.

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