Read the quote from Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.Sometimes a woman would say “I feel empty somehow . . . incomplete.” Or she would say, “I feel as if I don’t exist.” Sometimes she blotted out the feeling with a tranquilizer.Which best describes the connotation of “blotted” in the excerpt?
Answer
A
It has a positive connotation, because it implies the women were able to erase the feelings of emptiness.
B
It has a positive connotation, because it implies the emptiness was able to be replaced with happiness.
C
It has a negative connotation, because it implies women were actually strengthening the feelings of emptiness.
D
It has a negative connotation, because it implies women were merely temporarily lessening the feelings of emptiness.
Explanation
“Blotted out” suggests the women were covering up or suppressing their feelings, not resolving what caused them. The tranquilizer may have made the emptiness feel less noticeable for a while, so the word has a negative connotation of temporary relief rather than lasting happiness.
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