Question

question 18 (1 point)
read the following passage from chapter 3:
by seven oclock the orchestra has arrived, no thin five - piece affair, but a whole pitiful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and
cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums. the last swimmers have come in from the beach now and are dressing up - stairs; the cars from
new york are parked five deep in the drive, and already the halls and salons and verandas are gaudy with primary colors, and bar shim in
strange new ways, and shawls beyond the dreams of castile. the bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden
outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings
between women who never knew each others names.
the lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of
voices pitches a key higher. laughter is easier minute by minute, spilled with prodigality; tipped out at a cheerful word. the groups change
more swiftly; swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here and
there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the centre of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on
through the sea - change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light.
suddenly one of the gypsies, in trembling opal, seizes a cocktail out of the air, dumps it down for courage and, moving her hands like frisco,
dances out alone on the canvas platform. a momentary hush; the orchestra leader varies his rhythm obligingly for her, and there is a burst of
chatter as the erroneous news goes around that she is gilda grays understudy from the follies. the party has begun
the passage suggests that the narrator views gatsbys party as.

a
b
c
d
boring and uneventful
a frightening experience
meaningless and excessive
entertaining and engaging

Explanation:

To determine the narrator's view of Gatsby's party, we analyze the passage:

• Option a ("boring and uneventful") is incorrect. The passage describes a lively scene with music, dancing, and socializing.
• Option b ("a frightening experience") is incorrect. There's no indication of fear; the events are more festive.
• Option c ("meaningless and excessive") fits. The party has chaotic, over-the-top elements (e.g., "casual innuendo," "constant change of faces," and the sudden, somewhat absurd actions like the gypsy dancing), suggesting a sense of excess without deeper meaning.
• Option d ("entertaining and engaging") is partially true, but the tone also implies a critique of the excess, making "meaningless and excessive" a better fit.

Answer:

c. meaningless and excessive