In homeroom when Mr. Horswill handed out the permission slip for the Spring Fling, the all-school dance, I almost didn’t take one. Why should I bother when I was sure the answer would be the same? Even though I’m in ninth grade now, it would still be the same. No. Nyet is what they say, and I don’t want to hear this again. But I took a permission slip anyway. I don’t know why I didn’t just shake my head when this very popular girl Marcia Egness was handing them out. And even after I took one, I don’t know why I didn’t throw it away. Maybe I just couldn’t give up hope. It’s like that in America. It’s a place where things can change for people, and many people always seem to have hope. At least that’s how it seems to me. Maybe I was beginning to think this way, too, although my hope was very small.

In this paragraph, Maya asks herself the Tough Question “Why should I bother when I was sure the answer would be the same?” What clues does this question provide about the story’s main conflict?

The main conflict of the story is Maya wants to go to the dance but, she is afraid her family will not allow her to. Maya says, “Why should I bother when I was sure the answer would be the same?” That makes us wonder about her self-esteem. This means the permission slip does not matter to her because ultimately the decision to go or not lies in the hands of her parents. In other words, it is not like a permission slip already guarantees her to go, rather she thinks it is her parents. Hence, this gives us a clue of the main conflict because her parents haven't adapted to the American ways, so she believes that the permission slip to the dance is insignificant when Maya believes she may not go. If her parents say no, she won't go even if she has a permission slip.