Question

Read the excerpt from an editorial.

State lawmakers are considering overturning a law that forbids the sale of lottery tickets on Sundays. Proponents of the bill claim that the reason for the potential change is a result of consumer demand. These "state leaders” clearly have no concept of how to maintain family values. Playing the lottery is just as despicable as gambling in a casino and should be outlawed altogether.

Which detail reveals the writer’s purpose?

Using first-person pronouns shows that the writer has strong opinions against the lottery.
Placing “state leaders” in quotation marks indicates that the writer is mocking the lawmakers.
Stating the reason for the bill highlights the writer’s anger over the potential change.
Comparing the lottery to gambling establishes factual evidence to back the writer’s opinion.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. Placing "state leaders" in quotation marks indicates that the writer is mocking the lawmakers.

Step-by-step explanation

Quotation marks (") are a punctuation mark that has different purposes, among which are to quote verbatim what someone says; to highlight a word written in a language other than the main one of a document; to use irony, among others. In this case, the quotation marks are being used in the phrase "state leaders" for irony because you want to use a distinctive tone in this part of the text, to change the reader's interpretation and to make fun of the lawmakers. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Placing "state leaders" in quotation marks indicates that the writer is mocking the lawmakers.