Question 8 • $2526: sem 2: 1001410: English 4 HONORS: NEW
Read the excerpt from David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.‘—but in areas and with titles, I’m sure you recall quite well, Hal: “Neoclassical Assumptions in Contemporary Prescriptive Grammar,” “The Implications of Post-Fourier Transformations for a Holographically Mimetic Cinema,” “The Emergence of Heroic Stasis in Broadcast Entertainment” —’‘ “Montague Grammar and the Semantics of Physical Modality”?’‘ “A Man Who Began to Suspect He Was Made of Glass”?’‘ “Tertiary Symbolism in Justinian Erotica”?’What purpose does the recitation of Hal’s essay titles serve for the readers?
Answer
A
They reveal why the admissions committee is concerned about admitting Hal into the school.
B
They allow the reader to infer how academically gifted Hal actually is.
C
They explicitly state what Hal has been thinking about during his interview with the deans.
D
They provide explicit proof that Hal is slowly losing his mind.
Explanation
The titles cover sophisticated subjects in linguistics, film theory, literature, and other fields, suggesting that Hal has an unusually broad and advanced academic ability. Their purpose is to let readers infer how intellectually gifted he is, rather than to explain the admissions committee’s concerns or prove that he is losing his mind.
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