Answer:
B). "Paints" local scenes and tends toward the humorous and sentimental
Explanation:
Realism, as the title itself suggests, a literary form that aims to portray the real life subjects in a true-to-life manner. This literary form was primarily an escape from the prior fabrications and imaginative worlds created by the authors and laid emphasis on presenting the natural truth realistically.
As per the question, Realism would be characterized as the style of writing which ''paints' local scenes and tends toward the humorous and sentimental' aspects of life as the chief goal is to portray the real life situations and psychological developments of characters(represent the inner thoughts ad conflicts of common man') that have led to these situations through which the audience are able to connect themselves. 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Twain is a classic example of the blend of humorous and emotional reality of the late 19th century.
The answer is context clues. This is because you're using the clues from the other words (sentences/paragraphs) to answer the definition of the word.
The prepositional phrase would be "of the state". The word "of" is a preposition.
Examples of other prepositions: before, after, across, within, on, over, under, through, behind
A prepositional phrase has a preposition and a noun/pronoun after it.
