Question

Read these lines from the excerpt again: Tom counted the pages of the sermon; after church he always knew how many pages there had been, but he seldom knew anything else about the discourse. However, this time he was really interested for a little while. The minister made a grand and moving picture of the assembling together of the world's hosts at the millennium when the lion and the lamb should lie down together and a little child should lead them. Which word from the excerpt helps define discourse?

Answer 1

Which word from the excerpt helps define discourse? Picture/Pages/Sermon/Interested  

The word from the excerpt that helps define discourse is “Sermon”. The sermon works here as a type of discourse to be defined and it describes some characteristics of it: it can create interest through verbal “pictures”.

Answer 2

Answer:

Sermon.

Explanation:

Discourse is the act of communication where words and actions are used. It signifies the very act of being in discussion/ debate with others about any topic or issue.

Considering the given passage, the most likely meaning of the word "discourse" can be sermon. This is because the speaker s talking about Tom who attended a church congregation. And in this process, he was referring to the very act of being in communication/ active participation with the rest of the congregating members. So, when the speaker states "he seldom knew anything else about the discourse", he means that Tom hardly knew anything else about the sermon.