"tuesday siesta: " which of the following inferences about the mother is best supported by the passage?
a) the mother is cruel and demanding.
b) the mother is stern, but caring.
c) the mother is generous and joyful.
d) the mother is critical, but insecure.

Even though your question is missing the passage, we can safely choose as the best option:

B) The mother is stern, but caring.

Explanation:

"Tuesday Siesta" is a short story by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A woman and her daughter, whose poverty and simplicity are visible, travel to a far away town with the intention of paying respects to someone who was killed. It turns out it was the woman's son, who was shot to death while trying to break into a house.

Throughout the story, the narrator shows us the mother is a stern woman. When she talks to her daughter, she does it directly and seriously, giving short orders. When addressing other people, she is still direct, but also polite. Her tone and her expression show she cares about her family and others. They show her heart is good. Even though she does not cry for her lost son, she loves him, she speaks fondly of him. Her toughness and straightforwardness probably come from the difficulties she's had to face in life.

The woman stopped eating.

“Put on your shoes,” she said.

[...]

“Comb your hair,” she said.

[...]

“If you feel like doing anything, do it now,” said the woman. “Later, don’t take a drink anywhere even if you’re  dying of thirst. Above all, no crying.”

[...]

The girl wrapped the flowers in the soaking‐wet newspapers, moved a little farther away from the window, and stared at her mother. She received a pleasant expression in return.

[...]

“The train leaves at three thirty,” said the woman.

It was a brief and self‐assured reply, but her voice remained pleasant, full of undertones. The woman of the house smiled for the first time.