Question 4 • CA-Common Core English Language Arts 11 B
Read the excerpt from Infinite Jest.I have committed to crossing my legs I hope carefully, ankle on knee, hands together in the lap of my slacks. My fingers are mated into a mirrored series of what manifests, to me, as the letter X. The interview room’s other personnel include: the University’s Director of Composition, its varsity tennis coach, and Academy prorector Mr. A. deLint. C.T. is beside me; the others sit, stand and stand, respectively, at the periphery of my focus. The tennis coach jingles pocket-change.Which phrase or sentence is the best example of unusual language?
Answer
A
ankle on knee, hands together in the lap
B
The interview room’s other personnel include
C
the others sit, stand and stand, respectively
D
The tennis coach jingles pocket-change.
Explanation
“The others sit, stand and stand, respectively” is unusual because “respectively” suggests that each action corresponds to a person or item in a clearly ordered list, but the phrasing is oddly repetitive and indirect. The other choices use more ordinary descriptions or sentence structures. The best answer is C.
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