Question

for it needs little skill in psychology to be sure that a highly gifted girl who had tried to use her gift for poetry would have been so thwarted and hindered by other people, so tortured and pulled asunder by her own contrary instincts, that she must have lost her health and sanity to a certainty.
-a room of ones own, virginia woolf
which statement best explains how word choice supports the author’s perspective?
○ the irony of the phrase contrary instincts supports the author’s perspective.
○ repetition reinforces the perspective that women have a variety of life choices.
○ the negative connotations of thwarted and pulled asunder reinforce the idea that women face discrimination.
○ the connotation of the word gifted supports the author’s perspective that women have greater skills than men.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option 1: "contrary instincts" irony isn't the main word - choice focus here.
• Analyze Option 2: There's no repetition of words related to women's life choices.
• Analyze Option 3: "thwarted" (blocked) and "pulled asunder" (torn apart) have negative connotations. The text is about a gifted girl facing obstacles (from others and her own instincts), so these words reinforce the idea of women facing discrimination (hurdles to their talents).
• Analyze Option 4: "gifted" just means talented, not that women have greater skills than men.

Answer:

The negative connotations of thwarted and pulled asunder reinforce the idea that women face discrimination.