ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos


English II Videos 95 videos

AP U.S. History 3.4 Period 3: 1754-1800
234 Views

AP U.S. History 3.4 Period 3: 1754-1800. Common Sense had the most in common with which of the following?

AP U.S. History 4.1 Period 3: 1754-1800
208 Views

AP U.S. History 4.1 Period 3: 1754-1800. The argument in the excerpt is most clearly an example of which of the following late 18th-century trends?

AP U.S. History 3.5 Period 3: 1754-1800
214 Views

AP U.S. History 3.5 Period 3: 1754-1800. One effect of the sentiments expressed in the excerpt was...what?

See All

ACT Reading 1.8 Prose Fiction 275 Views


Share It!


Description:

ACT Reading 1.8 Prose Fiction. Why does the author spend so much time discussing the anecdote of the old woman?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

Here's your Shmoop du jour...

00:05

If you'd like to review the passage, just hit pause and go for it. We'll be over here if you need us...

00:26

Why does the author spend so much time discussing the anecdote of the old woman?

00:30

And here are some potential answers...

00:35

This passage is from a book called David Copperfield, not Some Old Biddy Who Bought a Caul.

00:40

So why does Dickens spend so much time talking about this lady?

00:47

Does the anecdote, or little story, set a serious tone for the passage?

00:51

Not really. The whole thing is actually pretty funny.

00:56

Could it be B? Does the description of the old woman give us the scoop on the narrator's community?

01:02

Yeah, it definitely does. By going into details about the old lady, Dickens gives us a taste

01:07

of what the larger community is like.

01:09

We'll keep B in mind as we push on.

01:13

What about C? Is the old woman the narrator's grandmother?

01:17

Absolutely not. The narrator doesn't say that at all. Buh-bye, C.

01:21

OK, last one. Does the anecdote show how much the narrator hated the sea?

01:27

Nope, the narrator never says he hates the sea.

01:29

Looks like B is the only one that works. Dickens is just giving us a taste of the community.

01:34

And boy does it taste...um...British?

Related Videos

ACT Reading 1.5 Social Science Passage
1337 Views

ACT Reading 1.5 Social Science Passage. Based on its context in the passage, which of the following would be the best definition for the word...

ACT Reading 1.1 Humanities Passage
548 Views

ACT Reading: Humanities Passage Drill 1, Problem 1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of this passage?

ACT Reading 1.1 Natural Science Passage
257 Views

ACT Reading: Natural Science Passage Drill 1, Problem 1. Which of the following best describes the overall purpose of this passage?

ACT Reading 1.1 Prose Fiction
1308 Views

ACT Reading Prose Fiction Drill 1, Problem 1. Which of the following best describes the overall purpose of this passage?

ACT Reading 1.1 Social Science Passage
276 Views

ACT Reading: Social Science Passage Drill 1, Problem 1. According to Freud, how were dreams understood in what he refers to as the "prescienti...