Question

What does the phrase "deceptively gentle tone" in paragraph 8 indicate?

Answer 1

Answer:

D) . The boys' mother will not be gentle.

Explanation:

The short story "The Encounter" by M. Kendall Hunt tells the story of how two young college students left their house in a state of an array in the absence of their mother and the other family members. And the imminent 'scolding' that's on their way will be the highlight of the whole scenario, at least according to their younger brother Benjamin.

At the end of the story, we see the boys' mother calling them to get back inside so that they can talk. The way the narrator describes her voice, "in a deceptively gentle tone" suggests that she will not be gentle. Deceptive is a word we use to "conceal" or hide the real thing, and she used deception, gentleness to ask them back so that they will talk about the condition of the house. But we already know how she’ll react, for Benjamin reveals at the beginning of the story that "[their] mother would have a coronary when she saw it".

Thus, the correct answer is option D.