Question

Difficulty: MediumFigurative Language and Tropes

Examine the literary statement below and complete the sentence by identifying the specific figure of speech used.

Answer:In the line, 'Surviving that harsh drought was no easy task for the young farmer,' the expression 'no easy task' uses the negation of a contrary term to emphasize how difficult the ordeal actually was. This figure of speech is known as 【litotes】.

Answer

litotes
The correct answer is litotes because the expression 'no easy task' affirms that something was very difficult by negating its opposite ('easy').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phrase 'no easy task' in the context of the sentence.
The writer negates the word 'easy' using 'no' to mean 'extremely difficult'.
Expressing an affirmative idea by negating its opposite or contrary is the defining characteristic of litotes.

Key Concept

Litotes as a Figure of Speech
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