Question
Read the follow excerpt from “Words Do Not Pay.”
Let me be a free man—free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself ….
In which of the following does the underlined word or words have a denotation and a connotation closest to the denotation and the connotation of free?
A.
I am available to meet for lunch on Friday.
B.
You can refill your drink at the restaurant for no charge.
C.
A prisoner is allowed to leave jail after serving his sentence.
D.
Many liberated slaves migrated to the North when the Civil War ended.
Let me be a free man—free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself ….
In which of the following does the underlined word or words have a denotation and a connotation closest to the denotation and the connotation of free?
A.
I am available to meet for lunch on Friday.
B.
You can refill your drink at the restaurant for no charge.
C.
A prisoner is allowed to leave jail after serving his sentence.
D.
Many liberated slaves migrated to the North when the Civil War ended.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The word "free" in the excerpt carries both a denotation (the literal meaning) and connotation (the emotional or cultural associations). The denotation of "free" implies a state of being without restrictions or limitations, while the connotation suggests a sense of liberation, autonomy, and the ability to make one's own choices.
Looking at the options provided:
A. "I am available to meet for lunch on Friday." - This focuses on availability but does not convey a strong sense of freedom or autonomy.
B. "You can refill your drink at the restaurant for no charge." - This implies something is without cost but does not carry the same meaning of personal freedom and autonomy.
C. "A prisoner is allowed to leave jail after serving his sentence." - This suggests a conditional freedom based on the completion of a sentence, which implies a transition to freedom but doesn't fully capture the sense of autonomy suggested in the excerpt.
D. "Many liberated slaves migrated to the North when the Civil War ended." - This option conveys a strong sense of liberation and autonomy, closely aligning with both the denotation and connotation of "free" in the excerpt.
Therefore, the answer is **D. Many liberated slaves migrated to the North when the Civil War ended.**
Looking at the options provided:
A. "I am available to meet for lunch on Friday." - This focuses on availability but does not convey a strong sense of freedom or autonomy.
B. "You can refill your drink at the restaurant for no charge." - This implies something is without cost but does not carry the same meaning of personal freedom and autonomy.
C. "A prisoner is allowed to leave jail after serving his sentence." - This suggests a conditional freedom based on the completion of a sentence, which implies a transition to freedom but doesn't fully capture the sense of autonomy suggested in the excerpt.
D. "Many liberated slaves migrated to the North when the Civil War ended." - This option conveys a strong sense of liberation and autonomy, closely aligning with both the denotation and connotation of "free" in the excerpt.
Therefore, the answer is **D. Many liberated slaves migrated to the North when the Civil War ended.**