Read the passage from The Importance of Being Earnest . Lady Bracknell: . . . I think some preliminary inquiry on my part would not be out of place. Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in London? I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus. Which excerpt from the passage contains a paradox and a pun?
Answer
A
“my part would not be out of place.”
B
“larger railway stations in London.”
C
“I merely desire information.”
D
“whose origin was a Terminus.”
Explanation
“Whose origin was a Terminus” contains both a paradox and a pun. A terminus is the end of a railway line, so describing it as someone’s origin creates a contradiction: an end is treated as a beginning. “Terminus” also plays on the idea of a railway station and a family’s social or personal origins. The correct choice is “whose origin was a Terminus.”
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