Question

Read the following paragraph and select the correct answer:

The letter was more like an encyclopedia, and about five times as long. Its list of rambling requests went on and on until I could barely stay awake to reach the end. My biggest concern was how I could untangle this mess of details to actually take care of the things asked of me in the letter. If only my sister were a better communicator!

Identify the use of figurative language that suggests the letter should have been much shorter:

a) Its list of rambling requests went on and on until I could barely stay awake to reach the end.
b) The letter was more like an encyclopedia, and about five times as long.
c) My biggest concern was how I could untangle this mess of details to actually take care of the things asked of me in the letter.
d) If only my sister were a better communicator!

Answer 1

Option b) 'The letter was more like an encyclopedia, and about five times as long.' uses figurative language to suggest that the letter is excessively long and should have been shorter, emphasizing the importance of conciseness in communication.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer identifying the use of figurative language that suggests the letter should have been much shorter is option b) 'The letter was more like an encyclopedia, and about five times as long.' This comparison exaggerates the length of the letter, implying it was unnecessarily lengthy and filled with too much information, similar to the detailed nature of an encyclopedia.

The aim of effective writing is often to communicate ideas concisely, as shown by the editing process that eliminates unnecessary words and refines sentences to their core meaning.