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

Craft and Structure practice question

The following text is from a novel. When Ruth came back to the farm after thirty years, the dog that met her at the gate was the great-grandson of the one that had seen her off, and it growled at her exactly as its ancestor had, as though the dislike had been handed down with the coat.

Which choice best describes the function of the detail about the dog's growl?

  1. A. It suggests, with humour, that Ruth's return is met by the same old hostility as her departure, as if nothing at the farm had changed.Correct
  2. B. It shows that the dog is dangerous.
  3. C. It indicates that Ruth dislikes dogs.
  4. D. It implies that Ruth has never left the farm.

Answer: A. It suggests, with humour, that Ruth's return is met by the same old hostility as her departure, as if nothing at the farm had changed.

The same growl four generations on, 'handed down with the coat': continuity, wryly.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It shows that the dog is dangerous.
Danger is not the point; likeness is.
C. It indicates that Ruth dislikes dogs.
Her feelings about dogs are not given.
D. It implies that Ruth has never left the farm.
She has been away thirty years.

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