Globalization and the Information Age: Postmodernism into the Twenty-First Century — Test

Question 5 • Literature and Composition III

Which excerpt from Infinite Jest best supports the inference that Hal is extremely intelligent?

Answer

‘I am not just a boy who plays tennis. I have an intricate history. Experiences and feelings. I’m complex.

‘My application’s not bought,’ I am telling them, calling into the darkness of the red cave that opens out before closed eyes.

I believe the influence of Kierkegaard on Camus is underestimated. I believe Dennis Gabor may very well have been the Antichrist. I believe Hobbes is just Rousseau in a dark mirror.

My forehead is pressed into parquet I never knew could be so cold. I am arrested. I try to be perceived as limp and pliable. My face is mashed flat; Comp.’s weight makes it hard to breathe.

Explanation

Choice C best supports the inference that Hal is extremely intelligent because it shows him making complex comparisons among philosophers and referring to the scientist Dennis Gabor. The ideas are abstract and require broad knowledge of philosophy and science. The other excerpts focus on Hal describing himself, speaking, or being physically restrained, rather than demonstrating his intellect.

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