Question

In the second and third sentences of the fifth paragraph (“He stops . . . gradual explanation”), the author presents a humorous reversal that emerges from an incongruity between the traveler’s
A. determination to see his friend and his ignorance of his friend’s schedule

B. ability to remember the location of his friend’s house and his inability to remember their childhood escapades

C. short journey to his friend’s house and the long explanation he must offer when he arrives

D. desire to surprise his friend and his friend’s failure to recognize him

E. intention to amuse his friend and his friend’s misinterpretation of the intended humor

Answer 1

Answer:

D. desire to surprise his friend and his friend’s failure to recognize him

Explanation:

Answer D

Correct. In these sentences, the author presents a humorous reversal that emerges from the ironic incongruity between the traveler’s plan to “overpower” his old friend with an excess of pleasure and the anticlimactic outcome of the surprise visit. As it turns out, the friend experiences no immediate pleasure from the visit because he fails to recognize the traveler and can only be made to remember him after the traveler gives a “gradual (in this context, methodical) explanation” of who he is.

Answer 2

Answer:

D

Explanation:

desire to surprise his friend and his friend’s failure to recognize him