Who lied in the chapel Now lies in the Abbey    The dominant device used is___________-

Analyze the question

The line is "Who lied in the chapel / Now lies in the Abbey." It asks for the dominant literary device.

Explain the concept

A pun (paronomasia) plays on a word with two meanings, or on words that sound alike, to create a witty or humorous effect. A single word may carry two senses at once.

The other options:

• Paradox: a statement that seems self-contradictory but contains a truth, such as "less is more."
• Chiasmus: a reversal of grammatical structure in successive phrases, such as "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
• Zeugma: one word governs two others in different senses, such as "He lost his wallet and his temper."

Solution

The key word is lie/lied/lies:

1. "Lied" here is the past tense of lie meaning "to tell an untruth."
2. "Lies" in the second line is the verb lie meaning "to rest or be buried."

The same word is used in two different senses, one of them (the lie of the speaker and the lying of the body in the Abbey) playing off the other. The wordplay is the dominant device, and that is a pun.

It is not chiasmus, because there is no mirrored grammatical structure. It is not zeugma, because one word does not govern two different objects. It is not really a paradox, because nothing is contradictory. The humor and wit come from the double meaning of "lie."

Answer: B. Pun

Tip: In the exam, when you see one word repeated or echoed with different meanings (lie/lie, sole/soul, grave/grave), think pun. Compare the others: opposites together suggest paradox or oxymoron, a mirrored structure suggests chiasmus, and one word serving two others in different senses suggests zeugma.