Understanding Meiosis and Understatement

Which of the following is an example of meiosis as a figure of speech?

• "The hurricane caused some wind."

• "The hurricane destroyed the entire city."

• "The hurricane was the worst disaster in history."

• "The hurricane was a minor inconvenience."

Which sentence best demonstrates understatement (meiosis)?

• "He scored the winning goal in the final seconds."

• "He did okay in the game, I guess."

• "He was the star player of the match."

• "He was the worst player on the field."

Which of the following is NOT an example of meiosis?

• "It's just a scratch," said about a large dent.

• "He passed away," referring to someone's death.

• "It's a bit chilly," when it's freezing outside.

• "We had a little rain," after a flood.

Which of the following best shows the effect of meiosis in writing?

• It makes the subject seem more important.

• It exaggerates the seriousness of the situation.

• It downplays the seriousness to create irony or humor.

• It provides a detailed description.

What is the main purpose of using meiosis in speech or writing?

• To exaggerate a point.

• To make something seem less important than it is.

• To provide a summary.

• To confuse the audience.

Which sentence uses meiosis to describe a very difficult test?

• "The test was impossible."

• "The test was a breeze."

• "The test was a little challenging," when it was actually very hard.

• "The test was the hardest ever."

Read the following sentence: "After running a marathon, she said, 'That was a nice little jog.'" What effect does this use of meiosis have on the reader?

• It makes the reader think the marathon was easy.

• It emphasizes the difficulty by downplaying it, creating irony.

• It confuses the reader about the event.

• It makes the reader feel sad.

A character in a story loses all his money and says, "Well, that was a slight setback." What is the effect of this meiosis on the tone of the story?

• It makes the story more serious.

• It adds a humorous or ironic tone.

• It makes the story confusing.

• It makes the story sad.

Why might a writer choose to use meiosis instead of directly stating the seriousness of a situation?

• To make the writing more dramatic.

• To create a sense of irony or humor by downplaying the situation.

• To provide more details.

• To make the reader feel sad.

A student says, "I did okay," after getting the highest score in the class. What is the effect of this meiosis?

• It makes the achievement seem ordinary, possibly to be modest or humorous.

• It makes the achievement seem more impressive.

• It confuses the listener.

• It makes the student seem arrogant.