Osage Nation citizen Randy Tinker-Smith produced and directed the ballet Wahzhazhe, which vividly chronicles Osage history
and culture. Telling Osage stories through ballet is ______ choice because two of the foremost ballet dancers of the twentieth
century were Osage: sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.
a suitable
a determined
an arbitrary
an unpredictable
Choice A is the best answer. “Suitable” means “appropriate for a particular purpose.” Since the text indicates that two of the
best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage, we can infer that the author believes that ballet is a very suitable
artform for telling Osage stories.
Choice B is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was determined. That would imply that Tinker-
Smith initially faced some kind of obstacle or opposition, and nothing like that is mentioned in the passage. Choice C is
incorrect. The text implies the opposite of this. “Arbitrary” means “based on random choice or whim rather than reason.” But
the text does give us a good reason behind the choice to tell Osage stories through ballet: two of the best ballet dancers of
the twentieth century were Osage. Choice D is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was
“unpredictable.” Rather, the fact that two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage makes ballet
especially appropriate for telling Osage stories.