Question

review the passage. the hyperbole is shown in bold.
true!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous i had been and am; but why will you say that i am mad? the disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. above all was the sense of hearing acute. i heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. how, then, am i mad? hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly i can tell you the whole story.
from edgar allan poe, \the tell - tale heart\
what is the effect of the hyperbole on the passages meaning or tone?
it produces a feeling of madness.
it suggests that the speaker is wise.
it creates an atmosphere of grandeur.

Explanation:

The hyperbole "I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth" is an over - the - top claim. In the context of the narrator who is trying to deny being mad, this extreme statement actually emphasizes the irrationality of the narrator's perception. A normal person can't hear everything in heaven and earth, so this hyperbole contributes to creating a sense of madness, as the narrator's perception is distorted. The option "It suggests that the speaker is wise" is incorrect because a wise person wouldn't make such an unrealistic claim. The option "It creates an atmosphere of grandeur" is also incorrect as the focus here is on the narrator's mental state rather than grandness.

Answer:

It produces a feeling of madness.