Question

Read the excerpt from "How I Learned English." I fell back, Dazed, clutching my brow, Groaning, "Oh my shin, oh my shin," And everybody peeled away from me And dropped from laughter, and there we were, All of us writhing on the ground for one reason Or another. Which phrase from the excerpt allows readers to hear what is happening in the poem?

Answer 1

I've found this question online. The options are:

A. Dazed, clutching my brow

B. Groaning, "Oh my shin, oh my shin,"

C. everybody peeled away from me

D. All of us writhing on the ground

Answer:

The phrase from the excerpt that allows reader to hear what is happening in the poem is:

B. Groaning, "Oh my shin, oh my shin,"

Explanation:

It is common for writers to resource to imagery. Imagery is a literary device that uses language to appeal to the five senses (sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing) to involve readers and help them to visualize and feel what is being described. To do so, word choice is crucial. It is the writer's words that will appeal to a certain sense, allowing readers to access it as if they were a part of the scene, as if they too can see, hear, or smell whatever it is that is being described. In the poem we are analyzing here, the word that allows readers to hear is "groaning". To groan means to make an inarticulate sound when in pain or despair. When readers see this word, they immediately associate it with groaning sounds they have heard before, thus being able to hear the character groan in their minds. For that reason, the correct option for this question is B. Groaning, "Oh my shin, oh my shin."