Question

Read the passage from "Optimism.”

A poet once said I must be happy because I did not see the bare, cold present, but lived in a beautiful dream. I do live in a beautiful dream; but that dream is the actual, the present,—not cold, but warm; not bare, but furnished with a thousand blessings. The very evil which the poet supposed would be a cruel disillusionment is necessary to the fullest knowledge of joy.

Keller achieves her purpose of convincing the audience by using a

A: fact.
B: quotation.
C: rebuttal.
D: statistic.

Answer 1

In the passage, Keller references a poet's perspective to emphasize her own views about happiness and the nature of reality. This use of a poet's words allows her to build her argument and reflect on the concept of optimism. Therefore, the best answer is:

B: quotation.