Use the passage from Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives to answer the question.

Question

Use the passage from Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives to answer the question.

"With no steady hand to guide him, the boy takes naturally to idle ways. Caught in the street by the truant officer, or by the agents of the Children’s Societies, peddling, perhaps, or begging, to help out the family resources, he runs the risk of being sent to a reformatory, where contact with vicious boys older than himself soon develop the latent possibilities for evil that lie hidden in him. The city has no Truant Home in which to keep him, and all efforts of the children’s friends to enforce school attendance are paralyzed by this want. The risk of the reformatory is too great." – Jacob Riis

In a paragraph of 3–5 sentences, interpret the passage in your own words.

(4 points)

Answer 1

The passage by Jacob Riis discusses the predicament faced by young boys in the city who lack proper guidance and structure in their lives. These boys often engage in idle and potentially harmful behaviors, such as peddling or begging, in order to contribute to their family's financial resources. However, their actions can lead them to be caught by authorities, such as truant officers or agents of children's societies. If these boys are sent to a reformatory, they are exposed to older boys who may influence them negatively and bring out their hidden potential for mischief or wrongdoing. The lack of a truant home in the city hinders efforts to enforce school attendance and increases the risk of placing these boys in a potentially harmful environment.