Question

language development: conventions and style from roughing it, mark twain the following passage is from roughing it by mark twain. in this passage, twain describes his travels to honolulu, hawaii. read the passage. then, answer the question(s). (1) when the sun sunk down—the one intruder from other realms and persistent in them—it was taxed luxury to sit in the perfumed air and forget that there was any world but these enchanted islands (2) it was such ecstasy to dream, and dream—till you got a bite. a scorpion bite. then the first duty was to get up out of the grass and kill the scorpion, and the next to bathe the bitten place with alcohol or brandy, and the next to resolve to keep out of the grass in future (paragraph 2) (3) then there is the tamarind. i thought tamarinds were made to eat, but that was probably not the idea. i ate several, and it seemed to me that they were rather sour that year. they pursed up my lips, till they resembled the stem - end of a tomato, and i had to take my sustenance through a quill for twenty - four hours. (4) they sharpened my teeth till i could have shaved with them, and gave them a “wire edge” that i was afraid would stay, but a citizen said no, it will come off when the enamel does—which was comforting, at any rate i found, afterward, that only strangers eat tamarinds—but they only eat them once which of the underlined phrases is the clearest example of hyperboles? a. then the first duty was to get up out of the grass and kill the scorpion, and the next to bathe the bitten place with alcohol or brandy, and the next to resolve to keep out of the grass in future (paragraph 2) b. then, observing an enemy approaching—a hairy tarantula on stilts—why not set the spittoon on him? (paragraph 2) c. then wait, and suffer, till all the mosquitoes in the neighborhood have crawled in under the bar, then sip out quickly, shut them in and sleep peacefully on the floor till morning (paragraph 2) d. i ate several, and it seemed to me that they were rather sour that year (paragraph 3)

Explanation:

A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. Option A describes an extreme and exaggerated action of getting up to kill a scorpion, which is an over - reaction and a clear example of hyperbole. The other options describe more ordinary or non - exaggerated events.

Answer:

A. Then the first duty was to get up out of the grass and kill the scorpion, and the next to bathe the bitten place with alcohol or brandy, and the next to resolve to keep out of the grass in future (paragraph 2)