Question

read this sentence from farewell to manzanar, in which the authors describe woodys smile. in the ring woodys smile looked sly and crafty; he hammed it up. which word could best replace the word sly in this sentence and maintain both its denotative and connotative meanings? clever subtle honest sneaky

Explanation:

• Denotative meaning: "Sly" means having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.
• Connotative meaning: It has a negative connotation, suggesting someone is not straightforward.
• Analysis of options:
• "Clever" has a positive connotation (intelligent, quick - witted) and doesn't match the negative connotation of "sly".
• "Subtle" means not obvious or direct, but it doesn't carry the same sense of deceit as "sly".
• "Honest" is the opposite in meaning (truthful, sincere) and doesn't fit.
• "Sneaky" has a similar denotative meaning (acting in a secretive and often deceitful way) and a negative connotation, just like "sly".

Answer:

sneaky