Question

the following passage is from the novel the grapes of wrath by john steinbeck. there, a hitch - hiker and truck driver for the ok corman city transit company are both leaving a diner at the same time when they meet in the parking lot. the novel is set in the late 1930s during the great depression.
1 the truck - driver stood up and looked across through the windows. 2 “could ya give me a lift, mister?”
3 the driver looked quickly back at the restaurant for a second. 4 “didn’t you see the no riders sign on the back?”
5 “sure, i seen it. 6 but sometimes a guy’ll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker. 7 the driver, getting sleepy into the truck, considered the parts of this answer. 8 if he refused now, that man might be not a good guy, but he was forced to carry a sticker, was not allowed to have company. 9 in the end, in that short chance, he was automatically a good guy and also he was not one whom any rich bastard could kick around. 10 he knew he was being trapped, but he couldn’t see a way out.
11 “well, the answer is be a good guy. 12 he glanced again at the restaurant. 13 scrunch down on the... can the door? 14 we got a second - hand bed,” he said.

1. the author’s use of figurative language in sentence 20 (note: maybe a typo, assume relevant sentence) has the effect of:

a. highlighting the driver’s growing curiosity about the hitch - hiker.
b. conveying the friendly disposition of the driver.
c. creating a sense of hopelessness in the hitch - hiker.
d. examining the dangers of hitch - hiking.

Explanation:

The question is about analyzing the effect of the author's use of figurative language in a text, which falls under the Arts discipline, specifically Literature (or Linguistics, but Literature is more focused on textual analysis). The options relate to the effect on the hitch - hiker's situation or the driver's attitude. To solve, we analyze each option:

• Option 1 (highlighting driver's curiosity): The text doesn't show the driver's curiosity growing.
• Option 2 (conveying driver's friendly disposition): The driver's language like "Could ya give me a lift" and the interaction doesn't strongly suggest a friendly disposition.
• Option 3 (creating a sense of hopelessness in the hitch - hiker): The hitch - hiker feels trapped ("he knew he was being trapped, but he couldn't see a way out") and the situation with the driver (needing a lift, being forced to carry a sticker) creates a sense of hopelessness.
• Option 4 (examining dangers of hitch - hiking): The text is more about the hitch - hiker's internal struggle and situation rather than the general dangers of hitch - hiking.

So the correct option is the one about creating a sense of hopelessness in the hitch - hiker.

Answer:

(Assuming the option for "creating a sense of hopelessness in the hitch - hiker" is, for example, the third option in the list of radio buttons. If we assume the options are ordered as:

1. highlighting the driver’s growing curiosity about the hitch - hiker.
2. conveying the friendly disposition of the driver.
3. creating a sense of hopelessness in the hitch - hiker.
4. examining the dangers of hitch - hiking.

Then the answer is: 3. creating a sense of hopelessness in the hitch - hiker)