Appeals, Rhetorical Devices, and Figurative Language — Unit test
Question 11 • SC-English 3 Honors
Read the excerpt from Dispatches. By autumn, what had begun as an adventurous expedition had turned into an exhausting, indecisive war of attrition in which we fought for no cause other than our own survival. Which statement best explains the paradox in the excerpt?
Answer
A
It is odd that war should ever be viewed as an adventurous expedition.
B
It is unusual that soldiers should ever be forced to fight merely to survive.
C
It is surprising that the expedition turned out to be so exhausting and difficult.
D
It is unfortunate that the soldiers did not have the easy time they had anticipated.
Explanation
The paradox comes from the sharp contrast between the expedition’s adventurous beginning and the grim reality of an exhausting war fought only for survival. Calling a war an “adventurous expedition” seems odd in light of that outcome, which is the contrast choice A describes. Choice C notes that the outcome was difficult, but does not capture the contradiction as directly.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.