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Read the following sentence from "The Gift of the Magi" and answer the question. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. What is the meaning of the underlined word as it appears in the context of this sentence? disparage undervalue underestimate trivialize

User Sheli
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1 Answer

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Answer:

C) Undervalue.

Step-by-step explanation:

Context plays a vital role in determining the meaning of the word as suggested by the author. It acts as a cue that allows the readers to connect to the viewpoint that the author is willing to convey and understand it effectively.

In the given excerpt from 'The Gift of the Magi', the author has employed hyperbole to show Della's pride in her long beautiful hair. Therefore, he establishes a comparison that her gold hair 'undervalue'(or depreciate) all the wealth and jewels of Queen Sheba and her amazing gifts to king Solomon. The idea of using the word 'depreciate' is to reflect how proud Della is of her hair that she may consider it more precious and valuable than all of the queen's wealth. Thus, option C is the correct answer.

User Roozi
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