16Hit1600
Information and IdeasVery hardQuotation illustrating a subtle claim about a narrator

Information and Ideas practice question

A critic argues that the memoirist's account of her success is quietly undercut by details showing how much she owed to others.

Which quotation from the memoir most effectively illustrates the critic's claim?

  1. A. "I built the business alone, in a workshop my brother lent me, with tools my father had left, and a first order that came from my old teacher."Correct
  2. B. "I built the business alone and owed nothing to anyone."
  3. C. "I could not have done it without my family, and I say so gladly."
  4. D. "The business grew slowly at first and then very fast."

Answer: A. "I built the business alone, in a workshop my brother lent me, with tools my father had left, and a first order that came from my old teacher."

'Alone', followed by a borrowed workshop, inherited tools, and a teacher's order.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. "I built the business alone and owed nothing to anyone."
No undercutting detail.
C. "I could not have done it without my family, and I say so gladly."
Openly acknowledged, not quietly undercut.
D. "The business grew slowly at first and then very fast."
No claim of independence.

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