"As they left the schoolyard, Mrs. Markham inevitably asked, 'How was school?' Willie would begin to talk, then stop. He was never sure his mother was listening. She seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts. She had been like that ever since his dad had abandoned them six months ago. No one knew where he'd gone. Willie had the feeling that his mother was lost too. It made him feel lonely."
Which detail from the passage best helps you understand the meaning of the word preoccupied as it is used in the story?
1. "Willie would begin to talk, then stop."
2. "He was never sure his mother was listening."
3. "No one knew where he'd gone."
4."It made him feel lonely."
The detail from the passage that best helps us understand the meaning of the word "preoccupied" is:
2. "He was never sure his mother was listening."