Question

But on an April morning in 1959, I heard a mother of four, having coffee with four other mothers in a suburban development fifteen miles from New York, say in a tone of quiet desperation, “the problem.” And the others knew, without words, that she was not talking about a problem with her husband, or her children, or her home. Suddenly they realized they all shared the same problem, the problem that has no name.
Which best describes the connotation of the word “desperation”?
negative, because the woman is feeling confused
negative, because the woman is expressing hopelessness
positive, because the woman is expressing herself
positive, because the woman and the mothers are in agreement

Answer 1

Positive, because the woman and the mothers are in agreement

Answer 2

The answer is B: Negative, because the woman is expressing hopelessness.