Question 9 • CMS 2026-2027 English III CREDIT RECOVERY
Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron." The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General. Vonnegut uses satire in this excerpt by
Answer
A
portraying an ideal society where everyone is equal in every way.
B
suggesting that the government take a more active role in society.
C
describing a society that has taken the idea of equality too far.
D
depicting a dystopian setting where people live and think freely.
Explanation
The excerpt exaggerates equality until people are forced to be the same in intelligence, appearance, strength, and speed. The constitutional amendments and constant government enforcement make this extreme version of equality seem absurd, which is how satire criticizes an idea. Choice A, describing a society that has taken the idea of equality too far, is correct; the society is not portrayed as ideal or as a place where people think freely.
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