Question

a mayor and his people
by theodore dreiser (adapted excerpt)
here is the story of an individual whose political and
social example should have been of the greatest
importance to every citizen of the united states.
he was the mayor of one of those dreary new england
mill towns in northern massachusetts.
\the prosperity of the city is not greater than the
prosperity of the largest number of its component
individuals,\ replied the mayor, in a somewhat altruistic
and economically abstruse argument on the floor of the
council hall. \we must find contractors.\
\well see about that,\ said the members of the
opposition. \why, the mans crazy. if he thinks he can run
this town on a goody - goody basis and make everybody
rich and happy, hes going to get badly fooled, thats all
bove is the text.
select the correct answer.
how is the mayor characterized?
a. the author describes the mayors character as one that should be admired and modeled.
b. the author uses imagery to describe the mayors attitude and behavior as a politician.
c. the author shows the reactions of others to the events to highlight the mayors character.
d. the author uses dialogue to show how the mayors character is distinct from the others.
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Explanation:

To determine how the mayor is characterized, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The excerpt doesn't present the mayor as admirable or a model; the dialogue suggests others view him negatively. Eliminate A.
• Option B: There's no imagery (descriptive language appealing to senses) used to describe the mayor's attitude/behavior. Eliminate B.
• Option C: The story includes dialogue from others (members of the opposition) reacting to the mayor, which highlights his character. This fits.
• Option D: The dialogue here is from the opposition, not to show the mayor's distinctness from others in a positive way, but to highlight negative perceptions. The focus is on reactions (from others) to highlight his character, so C is better.

Answer:

C. The author shows the reactions of others to the events to highlight the mayor’s character.