Read the passage excerpt below:
"During the press conference regarding the financial scandal, the minister's statement was a carefully crafted shield against public outrage. He described the missing funds as a 'minor bookkeeping discrepancy', while outside the hall, angry protesters made their voices heard like thunder. When pressed for details, his chief aide offered only a loud silence."
Match each figurative expression from the passage (Left Column) with its appropriate contextual interpretation (Right Column).
- "a carefully crafted shield"A metaphor used to represent a protective verbal strategy against public scrutiny.
- "a minor bookkeeping discrepancy"A euphemism employed to downplay the severity of massive financial corruption.
- "voices heard like thunder"A simile emphasizing the immense loudness and intensity of the demonstration.
- "a loud silence"An oxymoron highlighting a conspicuous and telling refusal to answer.
Answer
"a carefully crafted shield" matches with "A metaphor used to represent a protective verbal strategy against public scrutiny."; "a minor bookkeeping discrepancy" matches with "A euphemism employed to downplay the severity of massive financial corruption."; "voices heard like thunder" matches with "A simile emphasizing the immense loudness and intensity of the demonstration."; "a loud silence" matches with "An oxymoron highlighting a conspicuous and telling refusal to answer."
Each expression from the excerpt corresponds directly to its figure of speech and contextual purpose: 'shield' functions as a metaphor for verbal defense, 'minor bookkeeping discrepancy' acts as a euphemism to minimize scandal, 'voices heard like thunder' forms a simile for loud noise, and 'loud silence' unites contradictory ideas into an oxymoron.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying figures of speech and interpreting their contextual functions in literary and expository prose.