Question

Which of the following excerpts is the best example of pathos?

A. "You scrape uneaten food off the dishes and into the disposal by hand, rinse the dishes, presoak
them, stack them in a rack, and load the rack into the dishwashing machine ....."
B. "My first response to the work is disappointing and a kind of sexist contempt."
C. "They don't care about us,' she tells me of the hotel guests; in fact they don't notice us at all
unless something gets stolen from a room then they're all over you."
D. "Finally I lie down and breathe against the weight of unmovable air on my chest. I wake up a few
hours later to hear a sound not generated by anyone's TV: a woman's clear alto singing two lines
of the world's saddest song, lyrics indecipherable, to the accompaniment of trucks on the
highway."
E. "For sheer grandeur, scale, and intimidation value, I doubt if any corporate orientation exceeds
that of Wal-Mart. I have been told that the process will take eight hours, which will include two
fifteen-minute breaks and one half-hour break for a meal, and will be paid for like a regular shift."
Please select the best answer from the choices provided
A
B
C
D
E

Answer 1

Excerpt D is the best example of pathos, as it evokes feelings of sadness through the description of the woman's singing and the mention of the world's saddest song.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best example of pathos can be found in excerpt D: "Finally I lie down and breathe against the weight of unmovable air on my chest. I wake up a few hours later to hear a sound not generated by anyone's TV: a woman's clear alto singing two lines of the world's saddest song, lyrics indecipherable, to the accompaniment of trucks on the highway." This excerpt evokes feelings of sadness and melancholy through the description of the woman's singing and the mention of the world's saddest song.