Question

read the excerpt from mark twains \the £1,000,000 bank - note\.
well, i was perfectly honest and square with her; told her i hadnt a cent in the world but just the million - pound note shed heard so much talk about, and it didnt belong to me, and that started her curiosity; and then i talked low, and told her the whole history right from the start, and it nearly killed her laughing. what in the nation she could find to laugh about i couldnt see, but there it was; every half - minute some new detail would fetch her, and i would have to stop as much as a minute and a half to give her a chance to settle down again. why, she laughed herself lame - she did, indeed; i never saw anything like it. i mean i never saw a painful story - a story of a persons troubles and worries and fears - produce just that kind of effect before.
which rhetorical device is demonstrated in the excerpt?
a. hyperbole
b. allusion
c. metaphor
d. oxymoron

Explanation:

Hyperbole is an overstatement for emphasis. The excerpt uses extreme exaggerations like "it nearly killed her laughing" and "laughed herself lame" to emphasize how intensely the character laughed, which fits the definition of hyperbole. Allusion refers to referencing another work/figure (not present here), metaphor is a direct comparison without "like/as" (not used here), and oxymoron combines contradictory terms (not present here).

Answer:

A. hyperbole