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Difficulty: MediumFigurative Language and Figures of Speech in Context

Read the passage excerpt below and fill in the blanks with the correct literary device and its contextual function.

Answer:In his architectural review of the newly erected headquarters, the critic described the forty-story glass tower as a 'modest desk paperweight.' The critic's use of 【understatement】 serves to 【satirize】 the extravagant scale of the structure.

Answer

Blank 1 requires 'understatement' (or 'litotes' / 'meiosis'), while Blank 2 requires 'satirize' (or 'downplay' / 'mock' / 'trivialize' / 'minimize').
Describing a forty-story tower as a 'modest desk paperweight' intentionally minimizes the building's massive dimensions, which is a classic instance of understatement (or litotes). Contextually, the critic employs this figure of speech to satirize or mock the extravagant architectural scale.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the figurative expression 'modest desk paperweight' in contrast to a forty-story glass tower.
The expression intentionally presents a massive, imposing edifice as a tiny, trivial object.
Representing something as far less grand or significant than it actually is constitutes an understatement (or litotes).
2
Determine the contextual purpose of employing this device in the critic's review.
By diminishing the physical building to a mere desk accessory, the writer aims to satirize or mock its opulent, excessive scale.
Understatement is frequently used as a rhetorical tool for irony and satire to critique absurdity or extravagance.

Key Concept

Identifying understatement (litotes) and analyzing its satirical contextual purpose in a passage excerpt.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Figurative Language and Figures of Speech in Context

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