SAT #10 Reading (Question 8)

Question

When someone repeats the narrator's phrase "the greatest athlete in the history of Weequahic High" (lines 55-56), the main effect is to [...]?

Answer 1

8.R.10 (medium)

Answer Choice C is the correct answer because when someone repeats the narrator’s phrase “the greatest athlete in the history of Weequahic High,” we have to recognize its use in a tongue-in-cheek manner. This description of the Swede is used to tease the narrator and his excitement over meeting the Swede, which most closely matches Answer Choice C. Answer Choice A is incorrect because the phrase is used in a joking manner, and not as any kind of admittance about the Swede’s greatness as an athlete. The same can be said about Answer Choice B, which doesn’t make sense given the joking manner in which the comment is made. Answer Choice D is also incorrect because the phrase doesn’t recall any particular incident, and so wouldn’t be useful in helping the narrator remember something.

How to solve this? The Question asks, “When someone repeats the narrator’s phrase “the greatest athlete in the history of Weequahic High” (lines 55-56), the main effect is to [...]?” To solve this Question, we first have to go back to the Lines referenced. The Lines tell us, “He laughed, we parted, and someone was saying to me, ‘Well, well, the greatest athlete in the history of Weequahic High called you ‘Skip.’’’ At this point, to solve the question correctly, we have to recognize the tongue-in-cheek use of the phrase, “greatest athlete in the history of Weequahic High.” It can sometimes be hard to recognize this kind of use, but the Passage gives us three indications its being used in this way: (1) the contrast between the phrase “greatest athlete in the history” and “Weequahic High,” where the first is illustrious and grand while the second is very local, (2) the context of what we already know about Swede’s and the narrator’s relationship, where the narrator admires him so much that another character can say of him, “you might as well have told us he was Zeus. I saw just what you looked like as a boy,” and (3) the use of “well, well” in the introduction of the phrase which gives it a sarcastic tone in the opening. Noticing these three indications, we can predict our answer choice will have something to do with the tongue-in-cheek use of the phrase.

Answer Choice A says the effect of the phrase is to, “admit that the narrator was right about the Swede.” Because of the joking use of the phrase, it doesn’t make sense to call this an admittance about the narrator being correct about the Swede, so we can eliminate this option. Answer Choice B says the effect is to, “show appreciation for the Swede’s accomplishments,” which also doesn’t make sense given the joking manner in which the phrase is used, so we should eliminate this option. Answer Choice C says the effect is to, “tease the narrator for his enthusiasm in meeting the Swede.” This does match our Text, since it shows the character teasing the narrator with the use of the phrase, so we should keep this option. Answer Choice D says the effect is to, “help the narrator remember an incident involving the Swede,” which doesn’t make sense because the phrase doesn’t seem to recall any particular incident and so would be unlikely to help the narrator remember one, so we should eliminate this option. This leaves Answer Choice C, which we should choose as our correct answer.