Read the excerpt from David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest . It’s clear that this really pretty sincere yellow Dean at left is Admissions. And surely the little aviarian figure at right is Athletics, then, because the facial creases of the shaggy middle Dean are now pursed in a kind of distanced affront, an I’m-eating-something-that-makes-me-really-appreciate-the-presence-of-whatever-I’m-drinking-along-with-it look that spells professionally Academic reservations. An uncomplicated loyalty to standards, then, at center. My uncle looks to Athletics as if puzzled. He shifts slightly in his chair. Which element of structure most contributes to the postmodern quality of this excerpt?
Answer
A
inconsistent passing of time
B
unusual language and sentence structure
C
a sudden and unexpected shift of perspective
D
the use of irony to emphasize an idea
Explanation
The excerpt uses deliberately unusual language, including invented or unexpected words such as “avianian,” and long, winding sentences filled with qualifications and parenthetical observations. This unconventional style is the structural feature that gives the passage a postmodern quality. The passage does not mainly depend on a sudden perspective shift or a disruption in time.
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