Final answer:
Satire is the correct answer, as it uses humor, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize someone's or society's follies, often with the goal of social improvement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Disparaging humor is a form of humor intended to ridicule or mock, often used to point out an individual's faults or shortcomings. The correct answer to the student's question is a) Satire. Satire is the literary technique involving the use of humor, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize an individual's or society's follies or vices. It aims to improve humanity by criticizing its follies.
A classic example of a satirist is Jonathan Swift, who used this form of disparaging humor to make serious points about the society of his time. Writers have to balance the humorous elements with their serious message to ensure the thematic message is not lost. Satire serves as a tool in literature for writers to make their readers laugh while simultaneously conveying a serious message, often regarding social or political issues.