Question

Read this excerpt from National Epics, by Kate Milner Rabb.

Though the beauty of the original is of necessity lost in a condensation of this kind, an endeavor has been made to preserve the characteristic epithets, and to retain what Mr. Arnold called 'the simple truth about the matter of the poem.'

Based on its use in this context, the word "epithet" most likely means which of these?

a.descriptive word or phrase
b.punctuation
c.rhyme scheme
d.word count

Answer 1

I believe that the answer is A because an epithet is a word describing a persons traits it's also a term of abuse or being rude

Answer 2

A: descriptive word or frase.

Step-by-step explanation:

The word "epithet" in the context means "descriptive word or phrase". This may be an adjective or short phrase that is used to describe someone, specially when praising or blaming them . For example, some people called someone "Man Mountain" because this person weighs more than 100 kilos. "Man Mountain" is an epithet.