Question
The narrator makes this statement about Simon Wheeler, the storyteller, in Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County":
All through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity, which showed me plainly that, so far from his imagining that there was anything ridiculous or funny about his story, he regarded it as a really important matter, and admired its two heroes as men of transcendent genius in finesse. To me, the spectacle of a man drifting serenely along through such a queer yarn without ever smiling, was exquisitely absurd.
What does this excerpt tell you about the narrator?
He does not like gamblers.
He does not understand Wheeler at all.
He is eager to hear Simon Wheeler's story.
He has a unique sense of humor.
a b c or d
All through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity, which showed me plainly that, so far from his imagining that there was anything ridiculous or funny about his story, he regarded it as a really important matter, and admired its two heroes as men of transcendent genius in finesse. To me, the spectacle of a man drifting serenely along through such a queer yarn without ever smiling, was exquisitely absurd.
What does this excerpt tell you about the narrator?
He does not like gamblers.
He does not understand Wheeler at all.
He is eager to hear Simon Wheeler's story.
He has a unique sense of humor.
a b c or d
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is **b) He does not understand Wheeler at all.**
The narrator observes that Simon Wheeler tells his story with earnestness and sincerity, without any awareness of its absurdity, which indicates a disconnect between the narrator's perspective and Wheeler's. The narrator finds the situation "exquisitely absurd," highlighting that he does not share Wheeler's view of the story's importance.
The narrator observes that Simon Wheeler tells his story with earnestness and sincerity, without any awareness of its absurdity, which indicates a disconnect between the narrator's perspective and Wheeler's. The narrator finds the situation "exquisitely absurd," highlighting that he does not share Wheeler's view of the story's importance.