He is a citizen of no mean city illustrates _________

1. Analyze the question The phrase "a citizen of no mean city" asks which figure of speech is being used. "No mean city" means a very great, important city, but it is expressed by negating the opposite idea ("mean").

2. Explain the concept

• Bathos: a sudden drop from a lofty tone to a trivial or ridiculous one.
• Euphemism: a mild or polite word used in place of a harsh or unpleasant one (e.g., "passed away" for "died").
• Metonymy: naming something by an item closely associated with it (e.g., "the Crown" for the monarchy).
• Litotes: a deliberate understatement that affirms something by negating its opposite (e.g., "not bad" meaning "very good").

3. Solution

• "No mean city" means "a great, notable city."
• Instead of saying "a great city," the speaker denies that it is "mean" (unimportant).
• This is affirming by negating the opposite, which is the definition of litotes.
• It is not bathos, because there is no anticlimax. It is not euphemism, because nothing unpleasant is being softened. It is not metonymy, because nothing is replaced by an associated term.

(The phrase is famously from the Bible, Acts 21:39, where Paul says, "I am a citizen of no mean city.")

4. Answer The correct option is D. litotes.

5. Tip Look for the "not / no / never + negative word" pattern that really means the opposite positive idea: "no small feat," "not a bad player," "no mean city." Litotes is understatement that makes a point stronger.