Question

read the excerpt from \a quilt of a country.\ america is an improbable idea. a mongrel nation built of ever - changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone. \of all the nations in the world, the united states was built in nobody’s image,\ the historian daniel boorstin wrote. that’s because it was built of bits and pieces that seem discordant, like the crazy quilts that have been one of its great folk - art forms, velvet and calico and checks and brocades. out of many, one. that is the ideal. which techniques does the author use to develop her idea in this excerpt? choose four answers. □ metaphors □ facts and statistics □ contradictions □ neutral language □ loaded language □ imagery

Explanation:

• Metaphors: "A mongrel nation" and "crazy quilts" are metaphors. A metaphor compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as". Here, the nation is compared to a mongrel (a mixed - breed dog) and a quilt made of disparate parts.
• Contradictions: "all men are created equal" (an ideal) versus "most men consider themselves better than someone" (a reality) shows a contradiction.
• Loaded language: Words like "mongrel", "disparate", "discordant" carry strong connotations. "Mongrel" can have a negative connotation when referring to a dog, but here it's used to emphasize the mixed - nature of the nation in a more complex way.
• Imagery: "velvet and calico and checks and brocades" creates a vivid picture of the different elements (like fabric types) that make up the "crazy quilt" (a metaphor for the nation). There are no facts and statistics (no numbers or data) and the language is not neutral (due to the use of loaded words).

Answer:

metaphors, contradictions, loaded language, imagery