Question

Helen was obviously a young person of italics, a human exclamation point, enthusiastic, irrepressible. She sat fidgeting in her chair, trying her best to convince the detective that she was a grown woman.
Using clues from the passage above, what can the reader infer from "a young person of italics, a human exclamation point"?


A. Helen uses dramatic emphasis when speaking.


B. Helen absolutely detests getting attention.


C. Helen can speak fluently in Italian and English.


D. Helen is enthusiastic about English punctuation.

Answer 1

We need to use process of elimination to determine what the best answer is for this question. If we look at choice B, there is nothing in the excerpt that suggests Helen doesn't like getting attention. In fact, being described as an exclamation point would contradict this to a point.

Answer C is highly improbable. There is nothing in the excerpt that suggests she can speak both of those languages.

Answer D, much like B and C, is improbable. While she is described using punctuation marks, there is nothing to suggest that she is enthusiastic about them.

Returning to Answer A, this seems the most likely answer because when one uses an exclamation mark in writing, it shows enthusiasm or outbursts. Looking at the description of Helen as "enthusiastic and impressionable," describing her as a human exclamation mark is a good choice. It is because of this that A is the best answer.