2. Mackenzie Carro writes, “But the sneaker industry didn't hit its stride until the Air
Jordan.” Based on context clues, what
does the expression “to hit one's stride"
mean?
A. to run at full speed over a short distance
B. to travel around the world
C. to begin to do something well and easily
D. to try very hard to achieve something
difficult

Read the excerpts from “take the tortillas out of your poetry” and “speaking arabic.” my friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. he took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of spanish, english, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. in other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. at a neighborhood fair in texas, somewhere between the german oom-pah sausage stand and the mexican gorditas booth, i overheard a young man say to his friend, “i wish i had a heritage. sometimes i feel—so lonely for one.” and the tall american trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head. which best states how the structures of both excerpts support ideas about cultural diversity? each incorporates non-english words. each incorporates academic words. each incorporates offensive words. each incorporates nonsense words.