Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the lives of a girl during the great depression

Life during the great depression was hard. Especially for my student, Little Marie. She was givin 1 potatoe for lunch because that was all her parents could afford. She worked hard, got sick many times, yet perservered through it all. If i were to compare her to a wealthy young man's daughter also in my class, I would say that the wealthy girl was fed much better, but her education was lacking. I was greatly saddened when I heard that Little Marie had gotten the Small Pox. This was the worst sickness she had gotten yet. Praying everyday that she would get well, I was soon informed she passed away 2 weeks later. My heart was shattered. I canceled my class for the evening just so I could go visit Little Marie's body. Her family didn't have enough money to pay for coffin, all they could do was wrap her in cloth and put her in a hole her father had dug for her. I watched him, with a heavy heart, dig the small hole in the dirt, and gently lower Marie in. And I thought, if only this young girl had had a better life, better food, clothes, and shelter, maybe she would have grown to become someone important to this world. With that I left in silence. Rest in peace, my Little Marie.

The answer is d. prior knowledge. she breaks it into parts in order to figure out what other words have the same parts to the word and put the meanings together.