Read this passage: Devon tried to comfort Kayla after she tripped on the stage during the awards assembly. "It was nothing," he
reassured her. "People barely noticed." His words didn't help. Kayla replayed the inelegant scene in her mind. As she had walked across the stage, she had felt her heel wobble slightly, sending her swaying back and forth. Then her foot had given out completely, and the auditorium had echoed as she hit the ground. After a few seconds, giggles from the audience had broken the silence. Kayla had been mortified, and her face had remained flushed as she grabbed her award and ran back to her chair. "I'm dying of embarrassment," she whispered in Devon's ear. "My life is ruined." Which statement best interprets the use of hyperbole in the passage? A. By saying that she is "dying," Kayla uses hyperbole to show that she was seriously injured by the fall.
B. By saying that she is "dying," Kayla uses hyperbole to show how embarrassed she is.
C. By saying that the fall was "nothing," Devon uses hyperbole to show that Kayla is being too sensitive.
D. By saying that the fall was "nothing," Devon uses hyperbole to show that embarrassment is foolish.
B). By saying that she is "dying," Kayla uses hyperbole to show how embarrassed she is.
Explanation:
Hyperbole is illustrated as one of the figurative devices that are employed by the author to emphasize a particular point or create a specific and noticeable effect through overstatement or exaggeration.
In the given passage, option B best interprets the use of hyperbole in the passage as the overstatement presented through the word 'dying' emphasizes that how embarrassed Kayla is when she 'hit the ground' out of nervousness. The exaggeration implies the stress on 'height of discomfort faced by her' and complimented by the statement when she says 'my life is ruined'. Thus, <u>option B</u> is the correct answer.
