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Question

Difficulty: MediumUnseen Text Appreciation and Analysis

Which of the following correctly matches each unseen literary excerpt with the primary literary device or figure of speech it demonstrates?

  • "He spent a long, exhausting night tossing on a restless pillow."Transferred Epithet
  • "After months of suffering, the old monarch finally fell asleep in the Lord."Euphemism
  • "Silent was the grand hall as the ancient king raised his golden scepter."Inversion
  • "The heavy bass note vibrated across the room, producing a sweet, velvety sound."Synesthesia

Answer

Excerpt 1 matches Transferred Epithet, Excerpt 2 matches Euphemism, Excerpt 3 matches Inversion, and Excerpt 4 matches Synesthesia.
Each excerpt exemplifies a specific literary device: 'restless pillow' shifts an emotion to an object (transferred epithet); 'fell asleep in the Lord' softens the concept of death (euphemism); 'Silent was the grand hall' flips standard syntax (inversion); and combining sound with taste and texture ('sweet, velvety sound') blends sensory modalities (synesthesia).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze excerpt 1 for adjective transfer.
The word 'restless' describes the state of the person, but is grammatically attached to 'pillow', which is a transferred epithet.
Transferred epithet shifts an adjective from the person it logically describes to an associated object.
2
Examine the expression used in excerpt 2.
The phrase 'fell asleep in the Lord' substitutes the direct mention of dying, which constitutes a euphemism.
Euphemism uses pleasant or mild language to soften unpleasant truths.
3
Analyze the syntax and word order of excerpt 3.
The clause reverses conventional English word order ('Silent was the grand hall'), demonstrating inversion (anastrophe).
Inversion alters typical syntax for rhetorical effect or poetic rhythm.
4
Evaluate the sensory imagery in excerpt 4.
Describing sound using taste and tactile words ('sweet', 'velvety') mixes senses, depicting synesthesia.
Synesthesia attributes the qualities of one sense modality to another.

Key Concept

Identification of figures of speech and literary devices in unseen extracts
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Topics

Unseen Text Appreciation and Analysis

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