Question

aunt polly asked frank questions that were full of guile, and very deep for she wanted to trap him into damaging revelations. like many other simple - hearted souls, it was her pet vanity to believe she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy, and she loved to contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low cunning. as used in the text, what does the word devices most nearly mean? (a) patterns (b) anxieties (c) technologies

Explanation:

The word "devices" in the context of the text refers to "tricks" or "schemes" used by Aunt Polly. "Artifices" means tricks or deceptions, which is the closest in meaning. "Patterns" refer to designs or regular arrangements, "technologies" refer to scientific techniques or machinery, neither of which fit the context.

Answer:

B. Artifices