What does Tan’s interaction with the stockbroker, and the ordeal with Tan's mother's CAT scan at the hospital reveal about people’s perception of non-native English speakers?

i have a basic answer but if you want a more in depth

"character is what you are in the dark." dwight lyman moody, in this very witty quotation of his, states we act and think differently when we are "in the dark", that is, when the spotlight is not on us and everyone can see us and consequently judge us. when reading, we tend to be sympathetic to some characters and their dilemmas. by being so, we are saying to ourselves that we agree with those characters' acts and choices, even if they are morally questionable if we have common sense in mind. dwight lyman moody's quotation applies very well to "crime and punishment", by   19th century russian writer fiodor dostoyevsky. raskolnikov, the main character, a former law student who spends his days reflecting upon life and its misery, draws a fatal conclusion: mankind is divided in two main categories: ordinary and extraordinary people. the first are the ones who lead a run-of-the-mill existence and are full of imperfections; the latter are the ones who are spiritually superior, the ones who always know better, and have the right to judge the ordinary ones, as well as eliminate them if for common good. raskolnikov considers himself as belonging to the extraordinary category and decides to kill an old lady who is a money lender and in whose house he rents a small room. raskolnikov compares himself to napoleon, who had the undeniable right to execute tons of people during the war in order to save his nation. of course what the main character decides to do is a horrendous crime, but as readers we feel it is the right thing for him to do, since the victim is a mean old woman who only thinks about money and keeps humiliating her younger sister. what one experiences is a mixture of sympathy and empathy for the character, even though he decides to commit homicide, which is not at all accepted or tolerated by civilized citizens. however, since readers are "in the dark", they allow themselves to feel in ways they would probably never dare to confess to anyone, no matter how nasty or vicious a character can be. after all, they are just reading and doing no harm. in other words, readers are in the dark and can be who they are without being judged.

laughter improves people's emotional and well-being.   kavita khajuria is a psychiatrist and he has defined laughter as " physical expression of humour and joy that has numorous protective qualities." when you feel under stress or sad because you have argued with a person you love, you need to laugh to feel strong enough to face the problems.

when you have an exam , you probably feel under stress. laughing will you release this tension. humour decreases the hormones that cause stress. k. khajuria   says that the brain releases some chemical components when we laugh. these chemical components are called neurotrophic factors and they are very important. they support the neurons in the brain and encourage the growth of new neurons. as a conclusion, you should laugh a lot before giving your exam. laughing will you with your exam and with your brain.

if you are having difficult times with friends or family members, laughing will also you face these problems. alannagh kelly is an assistant psychologist. she thinks that laughter can   make anger and anxiety vanish in the air. laughter can set a new and exciting atmosphere among people and it can make the bonds bewteen people stronger. so, if you are having a difficult time with someone you love, invite him / her to watch a comedy. you will probably make peace.

laugher will certainly protect you against stress and emotional pain. watching a comedy   may be a solution to stress or damaged bonds. " this remedy is fun , free, and best of all, no instructions needed."   alannagh kelly has said in her blog.

i believe it is b, but i could be wrong. im pretty sure im right tho. ; )