Question

Lucky Bug The field behind Cora’s house was alive with lightning bugs and the sounds of evening on a farm. She handed her cousin a Mason jar, and the pair ran off into the fading light. “Do you think that if the holes in the lid were star-shaped, stars would shine all over the walls when the bugs light up?” asked Emma. Cora laughed, “These jars aren’t for lightning bugs. They’re for catching a cricket. Well, I’m catching a cricket, but you’re welcome to catch whatever you want.” “Eww! No thanks! I’m completely disgusted by bugs,” said Emma. “Crickets are insects, not bugs, and they’re very special,” said Cora. Emma rolled her eyes and said with exasperation, “Insects and bugs are the exact same thing, Cora. Honestly, you’re able to romanticize just about anything, aren’t you?” Cora shrugged, “I can’t help it. It’s a gift I get from my grandmother.” Cora tucked the jar under her arm and placed both hands on her hips, surveying the vast expanse of the field. “When I look at nature, I don’t just see plants and bugs and sunshine, I see all the magic that brings those things together.” Emma laughed and placed her arm around her cousin, “One of these days I’m going to find you living in a tree and sprouting feathers.” Cora’s eyes grew bright and shiny, “A bird? Oh, no way, I’d rather morph into a cricket that lives in a golden cage and sings for a princess.” Emma asked, “Why are you so cricket-crazy this summer?” Cora said, “My grandmother told me that in her culture, back in Japan, crickets are considered the luckiest of creatures. When she was a girl, she had plenty of pet crickets, and she kept them in a golden cage that she made with her mother.” Emma held the Mason jar up to the light, “Boy, this jar sure is a downgrade from a golden cage.” Cora beamed, “It’s only a temporary arrangement. After all, it is my birthday tomorrow.” Emma shook her head and smiled at her favorite cousin, “Only you would want a cricket condo for your fourteenth birthday.” The pair laughed and went back to work searching for the lucky cricket that would call Cora’s golden cage home. Cricket Song The girls were tucked into their sleeping bags on the floor of Cora’s room. The lights were dim, and the house was growing very still and quiet. Cora’s grandmother sat on the bed and waited for their full attention before pulling a tape recorder out of the nightstand drawer. Cora asked, “Grandma, did you bring something special to play for us tonight?” Her grandmother nodded, “I brought you something that is much more than special. In fact, it’s considered a national treasure.” Emma sat up and tried to peer at the tape recorder, “I’ve never actually seen one of those in real life before.” Cora said, “I use it to play my mom’s old language tapes, so I can speak Japanese to my family in Fukuoka when we Skype.” Cora’s grandmother placed a tape in the recorder and pressed the big, thick button marked with the play symbol. The room filled with strange yet beautiful music, and Emma whispered, “What on Earth is that magical sound?” Cora’s grandmother smiled sweetly as she swayed on the bed with her eyes closed, then said, “It’s a cricket song from the village where I’m from.” Emma gasped, “Crickets are making this amazing music?” Cora smiled, “The bell cricket to be more precise, right, Grandma?” Cora’s grandma nodded and said, “That’s right, my sweet girl. The bell cricket is our most prized in Japan because it makes the loveliest music for those who are willing to listen.” Emma sat mesmerized by the cricket song and reconsidered her loathing of all things bug related. She said, “I’m not going to hate crickets anymore, Cora. I mean, I don’t want one as a pet or anything, but I won’t scream if I see one anymore.” Cora raised her eyebrows and asked, “What will you do then?” Emma shrugged and closed her eyes like Cora’s grandmother and said, “I might just say thank you.” What is the BEST definition of romanticize as used in the passage?

Emma rolled her eyes and said with exasperation, "Insects and bugs are the exact same thing, Cora. Honestly, you're able to romanticize just about anything, aren't you?"
A.
examine in close scrutiny or detail

B.
form a mental picture or concept of

C.
a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love

D.
deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion

Answer 1

The BEST definition of "romanticize" as used in the passage is:

D. deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion.

This aligns with Emma's statement about Cora's tendency to see things in a more fanciful or idealized light, particularly when it comes to nature and insects.