16Hit1600
Craft and StructureHardFunction of a contrast in a literary passage

Craft and Structure practice question

The following text is from a short story. In the photograph her grandfather stood beside the new tractor with his hand on its wheel, the way another man might rest a hand on a son's shoulder. The tractor was long gone. The gesture, Liesl thought, was not.

Which choice best describes the function of the comparison to a son's shoulder?

  1. A. It conveys the grandfather's pride in and affection for the tractor, which the last sentence suggests has outlived the machine itself.Correct
  2. B. It shows that the grandfather had a son.
  3. C. It indicates that the tractor was unreliable.
  4. D. It suggests that Liesl dislikes farming.

Answer: A. It conveys the grandfather's pride in and affection for the tractor, which the last sentence suggests has outlived the machine itself.

A hand on a shoulder: pride and affection; 'the gesture … was not' gone.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It shows that the grandfather had a son.
The son is a comparison, not a fact.
C. It indicates that the tractor was unreliable.
Nothing suggests unreliability.
D. It suggests that Liesl dislikes farming.
Liesl's view of farming is not given.

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