Why do the women at the reservation hate Linda?

• A. Slept around.
• B. She could not read.
• C. She never washed.
• D. She insulted their traditions.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how social norms and judgments work on the Savage Reservation, especially around female sexuality. Linda’s past life included many sexual encounters with men there, which the local women interpret as immoral and shameful. That behavior marks her as an outsider and brings their contempt down on her, because it directly clashes with the community’s expectations of propriety. The other options don’t capture the central social accusation the women level at Linda; it isn’t about literacy, cleanliness, or insulting traditions, but about her promiscuity and the stigma it carries in their culture.