Question

read the passage.

from how to tell a story

1
i do not claim that i can tell a story as it ought to be told. i only claim to know how a story ought to be told, for i have been almost daily in the company of the most expert story - tellers for many years.

2
there are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind—the humorous. i will talk mainly about that one. the humorous story is american, the comic story is english, the witty story is french. the humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story and the witty story upon the matter.

3
the humorous story may be spun out to great length, and may wander around as much as it pleases, and arrive nowhere in particular; but the comic and witty stories must be brief and end with a point. the humorous story bubbles gently along; the others burst.

4
the humorous story is strictly a work of art—high and delicate art—and only an artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in telling the comic and the witty story; anybody can do it. the art of telling a humorous story—understand, i mean by word of mouth, not print—was created in america, and has remained at home.

5
the humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even suspects that there is anything funny about it; but the teller of the comic story tells you beforehand that it is one of the funniest things he has ever heard, then tells it with eager delight, and is the first person to laugh when he gets through. and sometimes, if he has had good success, he is so glad and happy that he will repeat the
ub\ of it and glance around from face to face, collecting applause, and then repeat it again.

in paragraph 3, how does the statement \the humorous story is told gravely\ refine the author’s main idea?

1. it explains why the plot of a humorous story is more important than its delivery.
2. it suggests that a humorous story can last forever because of its artistic nature.
3. it gives the most common reason why people fail when telling a humorous story.
4. it reveals that what makes a humorous story difficult is pretending it to not funny.

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option 1: The passage says the humorous story depends on the manner of telling, so plot isn't more important than delivery. Eliminate 1.
2. Analyze Option 2: The passage doesn't discuss the story's longevity related to being told gravely. Eliminate 2.
3. Analyze Option 3: The passage doesn't mention this as a common reason for failure in telling. Eliminate 3.
4. Analyze Option 4: The humorous story is told gravely (pretending it's not funny), and it's the difficult kind. This matches the idea that the difficulty comes from this pretense. So 4 is correct.

Answer:

1. It reveals that what makes a humorous story difficult is pretending it to not be funny.