Question

Select the correct text in the passage.

Answer 1

Answer: The line in this excerpt from The Still Alarm by George S. Kaufman that demonstrates the use of understatement is - FIRST FIREMAN (feels the wall): "It's pretty bad right now. "

Explanation:

The Still Alarm is a play, written by George S. Kaufman. In the play, Kaufman uses understatements to mock the British for their calmness, which is present even in quite stressful situations that would normally create panic.

An understatement is the presentation of something as being less important than it actually is. They are often used to create a humorous situation. The fire is strong enough to destroy the wall, but the fireman only states 'it's pretty bad." This is an example of an understatement - instead of describing fire as quite dangerous or horrible, he uses this weak description.