Alicia (Who Is African American), Amy (Who Is Japanese American)

Alicia (who is African American) , Amy (who is Japanese American) , and Ann (whose Jewish grandparents immigrated from Poland) are in the same tenth-grade history class. They are studying together for a test on World War II. The girls share the opinion that racism was a widespread problem during the war, but they disagree about which actions were most racist in nature. Which one of the following explanations of their differences is most consistent with contemporary theories of cognitive development?

A) After puberty, many youngsters (especially girls) tend to enjoy a good argument.
B) At their age, they probably don't yet have a good understanding of such an abstract concept as racism.
C) Their differing heritages lead them to bring different knowledge bases to their interpretations of history.
D) Children whose parents or grandparents immigrated from one country to another tend to have exceptionally strong opinions about many issues.