Question

Read the excerpt from "The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Her default position toward me, as an African, was a kind of patronizing, well-meaning pity. My roommate had a single story of Africa: a single story of catastrophe. In this single story, there was no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way, no possibility of feelings more complex than pity, no possibility of a connection as human equals.

What is the most likely reason Adichie uses repetition in this part of her speech?

to emphasize the singular way her roommate views her
to show that her roommate knows only one thing about her
to underscore the frustration that her roommate causes her
to highlight the pity her roommate feels toward her

Answer 1

to emphasize the singular way her roommate views her

Repetition of "single story" stresses the one-dimensional, limiting perspective—highlighting the idea of a single, stereotyped narrative rather than a full, complex view.