Question

identifying a literary device
cecily. rather shy and confidingly. dearest gwendolen, there is no reason why i should make a secret of it to you. our little county newspaper is sure to chronicle the fact next week. mr. ernest worthing and i are engaged to be married.
gwendolen. quite politely, rising. my darling cecily, i think there must be some slight error. mr. ernest worthing is engaged to me.
—the importance of being earnest, oscar wilde
what literary device does gwendolen use when she says, “i think there must be some slight error”?
○ pun
○ paradox
○ understatement
○ epigram

Explanation:

An understatement is a literary device where something is presented as less important or serious than it actually is. Here, Gwendolen says there's a "slight error" when two women both claim to be engaged to the same man, which is a significant conflict, so she downplays the situation. A pun relies on wordplay, a paradox is a self - contradictory statement, and an epigram is a short, witty statement. So the correct device is understatement.

Answer:

understatement (the option corresponding to "understatement" in the multiple - choice, e.g., if it's the third option, then "C. understatement")