Santee Dakota writer In the text, Ohiyesa recalls how the women in his tribe harvested maple syrup during his childhood. Now the women began to test the trees-moving leisurely among them , axe in hand, and striking a single quick blow, to see if the sap would appear. The trees, like people, have their individual characters;some were ready to yield up their life-blood.while others were more reluctant. Now one of the birchen basins was set under each tree, and a hardwood chip driven deep into the cut which the axe had made.From the corners of this chip-at first drop by drop, then more freely-the sap trickled into the little dishes. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? A) It portrays the range of personality traits displayed by the women as they work. B) It foregrounds the beneficial relationship between humans and maple trees. C) It demonstrates how human behavior can be D) It elaborates on an aspect of the maple trees that the women evaluate.

## Step 1<br />The problem is asking us to determine the function of the underlined sentence in the text. The underlined sentence is "The trees, like people, have their individual characters; some were ready to yield up their life-blood, while others were more reluctant."<br /><br />## Step 2<br />We need to analyze the sentence and its context in the text. The sentence compares the trees to people, suggesting that they have individual characteristics. It also describes the trees' readiness to yield their sap, which is metaphorically compared to their 'life-blood'.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Now, we need to match our understanding of the sentence with the given options. <br /><br />## Step 4<br />Option A suggests that the sentence portrays the range of personality traits displayed by the women as they work. However, the sentence does not focus on the women's personality traits but rather on the trees' individual characteristics.<br /><br />## Step 5<br />Option B suggests that the sentence foregrounds the beneficial relationship between humans and maple trees. While the sentence does mention a human activity (harvesting sap), it does not focus on the relationship between humans and trees.<br /><br />## Step 6<br />Option C suggests that the sentence demonstrates how human behavior can be. This option is not relevant to the sentence as it does not discuss human behavior.<br /><br />## Step 7<br />Option D suggests that the sentence elaborates on an aspect of the maple trees that the women evaluate. This option aligns with our understanding of the sentence as it describes the women's evaluation of the trees' readiness to yield their sap.