Question
Otis stood outside the department store where the row of shoeshine boys worked like bees in a hive, and he waited for his next customer. He had just shined the shoes of an Italian man who was visiting New York from Rome. Otis liked how his job let him meet people of every age and background.
A steady tapping reached Otis's ears, and he looked up to see a blind man coming toward him, his walking stick playing a rhythm on the sidewalk in front of him. When the man got near the shoeshine boys, he asked, "Is someone available to shine my shoes?"
Otis stepped forward and said, "Yes, sir," and he helped the man get seated in the chair. He cleaned and shined the man's fine leather shoes until they were a mirror reflecting the boy's face.
Before the man got up, he asked Otis what the headlines were in the paper that day, and Otis told him. He thanked the boy and then said, "You have a fine speaking voice, son. I work in radio, and we are always looking for good voices." Then he gave Otis his business card. "Look me up if you're interested in a radio job."
When the man had left, Otis daydreamed. My voice would be heard on the radio by thousands of people, he thought. Who knows? I might even make enough money to buy a pair of leather shoes.
This sentence uses personification in order to—
Responses
A Suggest that the blind man must be a musicianSuggest that the blind man must be a musician
B Help readers imagine the sound the cane madeHelp readers imagine the sound the cane made
C Suggest that the man is about to help Otis get a better jobSuggest that the man is about to help Otis get a better job
D Show that the city streets are crowded that dayShow
A steady tapping reached Otis's ears, and he looked up to see a blind man coming toward him, his walking stick playing a rhythm on the sidewalk in front of him. When the man got near the shoeshine boys, he asked, "Is someone available to shine my shoes?"
Otis stepped forward and said, "Yes, sir," and he helped the man get seated in the chair. He cleaned and shined the man's fine leather shoes until they were a mirror reflecting the boy's face.
Before the man got up, he asked Otis what the headlines were in the paper that day, and Otis told him. He thanked the boy and then said, "You have a fine speaking voice, son. I work in radio, and we are always looking for good voices." Then he gave Otis his business card. "Look me up if you're interested in a radio job."
When the man had left, Otis daydreamed. My voice would be heard on the radio by thousands of people, he thought. Who knows? I might even make enough money to buy a pair of leather shoes.
This sentence uses personification in order to—
Responses
A Suggest that the blind man must be a musicianSuggest that the blind man must be a musician
B Help readers imagine the sound the cane madeHelp readers imagine the sound the cane made
C Suggest that the man is about to help Otis get a better jobSuggest that the man is about to help Otis get a better job
D Show that the city streets are crowded that dayShow
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct response is:
B Help readers imagine the sound the cane made
This is because the phrase "his walking stick playing a rhythm on the sidewalk" uses personification to give the cane human-like qualities, helping the reader visualize and imagine the sound it produces.
B Help readers imagine the sound the cane made
This is because the phrase "his walking stick playing a rhythm on the sidewalk" uses personification to give the cane human-like qualities, helping the reader visualize and imagine the sound it produces.