Question

I cannot make myself understood. “I am not just a jock,” I say slowly. Distinctly. “My transcript for the last year might have been dickied a bit, maybe, but that was to get me over a rough spot. The grades prior to that are de moi.” My eyes are closed; the room is silent. “I cannot make myself understood, now.” I am speaking slowly and distinctly. “Call it something I ate.”

Which statement best says how Wallace explores the conflict between personal and societal realities?
A. Wallace uses objective facts to show the conflict that can occur when people are dishonest about their pasts.
B. Wallace uses characters’ actions to show the conflict that can occur between society and people who act in nonconforming ways.
C. Wallace uses descriptions to show the conflict that can occur when people are placed in unnatural settings.
D. Wallace uses dialogue to show the conflict that can occur between inner perceptions of self and outside perceptions of self.

Answer 1

Wallace uses dialogue to show the conflict that can occur between inner perceptions of self and outside perceptions of self. 

Answer 2

Answer: The right answer is the D) Wallace uses dialogue to show the conflict that can occur between inner perceptions of self and outside perceptions of self.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that in this extract from Wallace's famous novel, Infinite Jest, the author is primarily using dialogue in order to show the conflict that can occur when an inner perception of yourself differs from the perceptions that others have of you. The dialogue here, however, takes the form of a soliloquy, since the character is the only one talking. The character is voicing out loud what he seems to be thinking, in an attempt to defend himself from an alleged accusation - "I am not just a jock," "The grades are mine," "I cannot make myself understood." The use of direct speech makes the text more vivid. The author is using neither objective facts nor characters' actions, so options A and B should be discarded. He is not using descriptions either, so option C should be discarded too.