Question

from the passage from first inaugural address, a speech by abraham lincoln.
we fellow - citizens, when a man hears himself somewhat misrepresented, it provokes him,—at least, i find it so with myself; but when misrepresentation becomes ideal, absurd, ridiculous, it is more apt to amuse him.
what is the closest meaning of the underlined phrase as it used in the excerpt?
options: emotionally disturbing, widely accepted, obviously exaggerated, extremely humorous

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "over - stretched, over - strained, over - done", we analyze the context. The passage says that misrepresentation in this extreme form is more likely to amuse rather than produce the initial (probably negative) effect. "Obviously exaggerated" fits as over - stretching, straining, or doing something too much implies an obvious exaggeration. "Emotionally disturbing" doesn't fit as the later part says it amuses. "Widely accepted" is not related to the idea of excess. "Extremely humorous" is incorrect as the phrase describes the misrepresentation, not its humor (the humor comes from the exaggeration).

Answer:

obviously exaggerated