Question

BRUTUS: What a blunt fellow is this grown to be! He was quick mettle when he went to school. blunt – adj. Not smart. mettle – n. Wit; intelligence. Which statement paraphrases this excerpt best? This guy is really smart, just like he was when he was in school! This man has gone to blacksmith school and has become very dull. This man has gone to school but should not have done because he is just a blacksmith. This man, who was smart in school, has grown up to be unintelligent.

Answer 1

Given that 'blunt' means 'not smart' and that 'mettle' means 'wit; intelligence', I believe that the statement that best paraphrases "What a blunt fellow is this grown to be! He was quick mettle when he went to school" is "This man, who was smart in school, has grown up to be unintelligent".

Answer 2

Answer:

"This man, who was smart in school, has grown up to be unintelligent".

Explanation:

Brutus is referring to a person who had access to education, attended school, but when he grew up he became an unintelligent, blunt, as if he had not studied right, forgotten everything he learned, or left school earlier.

For this reason, we can say that the best way to paraphrase Brutus' phrase is through the phrase "This man, who was smart in school, has grown up to be unintelligent", since paraphrasing means rewriting a phrase while retaining the meaning, but modifying the words.