IXL | Interpret the meaning of an allusion from its source

Read the source of the allusion.

In Greek mythology, a sphinx is a strange creature that guards a road. To pass, travelers must solve difficult riddles that very few can understand or answer.

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

Brad sat in the corner like a sphinx, causing everyone to whisper and stare.

a quiet person

a mysterious person

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Read the source of the allusion.

In classical mythology, Hercules is the son of a god and has amazing strength.

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

It took a Herculean effort, but Matt moved the giant branch out of the road.

very strong

very dangerous

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.

"I'd better get home before I turn into a pumpkin!" Lila remarked.

Here, Lila alludes to the fairy tale "Cinderella," in which Cinderella must leave the ball before the coach that brought her transforms into a pumpkin. The allusion shows that Lila must depart immediately.

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.

In classical mythology, Hercules is the son of a god and has amazing strength.

The allusion Herculean means very strong.

Looking for more? Try this:

$Confetti$

Excellent!

Now entering the Challenge Zone—are you ready?

Questions
answeredQuestions

Time
elapsedTime

hr	min	sec
00	00	06

SmartScore
out of 100
IXL's SmartScore is a dynamic measure of progress towards mastery, rather than a percentage grade. It tracks your skill level as you tackle progressively more difficult questions. Consistently answer questions correctly to reach excellence (90), or conquer the Challenge Zone to achieve mastery (100)! Learn more

Teacher tools

Excellent! You got that right!

Jumping to level 1 of 1

Excellent!