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Difficulty: MediumFigurative Language and Figures of Speech in Context

Read the passage excerpt below: "When the community's primary water borehole broke down during the severe drought, the village head lamented that five hundred mouths were left without a single drop to drink."

Complete the sentences by filling in the blanks with the correct figure of speech and its contextual meaning.

Answer:The expression 'five hundred mouths' is an example of 【synecdoche】, which is used contextually to represent five hundred 【people】.

Answer

The expression 'five hundred mouths' uses synecdoche, which contextually refers to five hundred people (or villagers/inhabitants).
The expression 'five hundred mouths' uses a physical part of the human body (mouths) to represent complete individuals (people or villagers). Substituting a part for the whole is the defining feature of synecdoche.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the expression 'five hundred mouths' in relation to the whole entities being described.
The word 'mouths' refers to a specific anatomical part used to represent the complete human beings who consume water.
Identifying that a part of a person is used to stand for the entire person establishes the literary device.
2
Identify the literary device where a part represents the whole.
The device is identified as synecdoche.
Synecdoche is defined specifically as substituting a part for the whole or the whole for a part.
3
Determine the contextual meaning of the phrase within the passage.
The phrase refers to the five hundred people or villagers who depend on the borehole for drinking water.
The village head is expressing concern for the human population affected by the water shortage, not literally disconnected organs.

Key Concept

Identifying synecdoche and inferring its contextual meaning in a passage.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Figurative Language and Figures of Speech in Context

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