As a result, everyone was in a hurry to find her a house of some sort. A bungalow, a duplex, a brownstone, an apartment. Something, anything, because the Grandmother’s gloominess was the contagious kind, infecting every member of the household as fiercely as the bubonic plague.
The figurative language in the lines establishes a tone of
A.
loneliness.
B.
confusion.
C.
desperation.
D.
shame.
C. desperation.
Which statement best demonstrates the idea that the Grandmother “was not a woman given to reflection” (Paragraph 4)?
A.
“She was unhappy. And didn’t know she was unhappy, the worst kind of unhappiness of all.” (Paragraph 1)
B.
“All day and all night the expressway traffic whooshed past, keeping the Grandmother awake.” (Paragraph 3)
C.
“She missed rubbing her big toe along the octagon tiles of her bathroom floor.” (Paragraph 5)
D.
“At first the Grandmother was thrilled by the restaurants and the big discount chains.” (Paragraph 8)
D. “At first the Grandmother was thrilled by the restaurants and the big discount chains.” (Paragraph 8)
To determine the figurative language in the lines and establish the tone, we need to analyze the words and phrases that are used to convey a deeper meaning beyond their literal interpretation.
In this excerpt, the author uses figurative language to describe the impact of the Grandmother's gloominess. The phrase "as fiercely as the bubonic plague" is a simile, comparing the contagious nature of the gloominess to the spread of a deadly disease.
Based on this figurative language, we can infer that the author is emphasizing the urgency and seriousness of finding a house for the Grandmother. The tone created by the figurative language is one of desperation.
Therefore, the correct answer is C. desperation.