Summarize the chapter Hard Labor.

• A. Melinda is sent to work at her mother's store folding shirts, cuts her tongue on an envelope and bleeds on calendars.
• B. Melinda quits the job and goes home.
• C. Melinda learns to count money and hits a sales record.
• D. Melinda is promoted to store manager.

Answer: (A)

The chapter focuses on Melinda trying to endure hard, tedious work at her mother’s store, turning a simple task into a painful moment that mirrors her ongoing discomfort. She’s folding shirts when an accidental cut on her tongue from an envelope causes her to bleed on calendars, a small incident that heightens the sense of vulnerability and strain she feels in ordinary situations. This scene shows how labor—physical and emotional—feels exhausting and overwhelming for her, which is the point of this chapter.

The other options don’t fit because they describe outcomes that aren’t what happens here—she doesn’t quit and go home, she doesn’t boost sales to a record, and she isn’t promoted. The chapter centers on the rough, draining experience of doing work that amplifies her anxiety and sense of alienation.