IXL | Interpret the meaning of an allusion from its source

Read the source of the allusion.

In Voltaire's 1759 novel Candide, Pangloss is a tutor whose worldview is relentlessly upbeat to the point of excessive optimism.

What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?

As we hiked through the snow-covered woods, we remembered the weather forecaster's predictions, which seemed in retrospect rather Panglossian.

unreasonably positive

unfairly pessimistic

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Learn with an example

question

Read the source of the allusion.

Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals, conflates or confuses words that sound alike but have totally different meanings.

What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?

"The reporter on the news said we may have to evaporate the island if the storm gets any worse," my younger sister explained, unaware of her malapropism.

an immature response to crisis

an amusingly incorrect use of a word

key idea

An allusion is a brief mention of something or someone well known, often from mythology, history, or literature. An allusion lets you reference ideas from an entire story in just a few words.

The protean nature of the disease makes it difficult to diagnose.

The word protean is an allusion to the sea god Proteus in Greek mythology. Because the sea is constantly changing, to describe something as protean suggests that it is variable or in flux.

solution

An allusion references ideas and events from its original source. Look at the underlined part of the source to better understand the meaning of the allusion.

Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals, conflates or confuses words that sound alike but have totally different meanings.

The allusion malapropism means an amusingly incorrect use of a word.

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