PSAT Reading Question 619: Answer and Explanation

Question: 619

What best describes the figure of speech used by the narrator in lines 62–64 ("After . . . hand")?

• A. Metaphor
• B. Understatement
• C. Personification
• D. Irony

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) "Irony" means to have something be the opposite of what one would expect. The fact that Coverdale has prepared so much for death yet now finds himself recovering from his illness presents a situational irony. The statement is neither metaphor nor personification, because the situation is clearly expressed. The figure of speech is not an understatement, because if anything, Coverdale has a consistent tendency toward overstatement.