Question 25
GCE_MODEL_QUESTIONS_VOL1
•
2021
•
LITERATURE_IN_ENGLISH
•
objective
In Mark Antony's funeral oration in Shakespeare's *Julius Caesar* (Act III, Scene II), the following excerpt appears:
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;\
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.\
The evil that men do lives after them;\
The good is oft inter‑spaced with the bad."
Identify three distinct figures of speech used in this passage, explain the effect each has on the tone of the speech, and discuss how they together contribute to Antony's persuasive strategy.
Answer Options
A.
The passage contains (1) alliteration in the repeated "f" sounds of "Friends, Romans, countrymen," (2) hyperbole when he says "the evil that men do lives after them," exaggerating its persistence, and (3) a simile "the good is oft inter‑spaced with the bad" comparing good to bad using "as." These figures give the speech a rhythmic, exaggerated, and comparative tone, respectively, and together they aim to dramatize his argument.
Correct Answer
B.
The passage contains (1) anaphora in the repeated address "Friends, Romans, countrymen," (2) irony in claiming he comes to bury Caesar "not to praise him" while actually praising him, and (3) a metaphor "the evil that men do lives after them." These figures give the speech a solemn, sarcastic, and vivid tone, respectively, and together they make Antony's appeal both emotionally resonant and rhetorically persuasive.
C.
The passage contains (1) personification of "evil" and "good," (2) chiasmus in the balanced clauses "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him," and (3) onomatopoeia in the word "lend." These devices create a vivid, mirrored, and auditory tone, respectively, and together they reinforce his persuasive appeal.
D.
The passage contains (1) epistrophe with the repeated ending "men" in "the evil that men do lives after them," (2) paradox in claiming to bury Caesar while praising him, and (3) an allusion to Roman customs. These figures give the speech a concluding, contradictory, and cultural tone, respectively, and together they enhance his rhetorical strategy.
Correct Answer
B
Correct Option:
The passage contains (1) anaphora in the repeated address "Friends, Romans, countrymen," (2) irony in claiming he comes to bury Caesar "not to praise him" while actually praising him, and (3) a metaphor "the evil that men do lives after them." These figures give the speech a solemn, sarcastic, and vivid tone, respectively, and together they make Antony's appeal both emotionally resonant and rhetorically persuasive.
About This Question
This is
Gce Model Questions Vol1
2021
Literature In English
Question 25.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2021
Gce Model Questions Vol1
Literature In English
examination.
Difficulty level:
Medium
.