At the fall of their house, the widow lost her husband, her sewing machine and her ear-rings illustrates

Analyze the question: The sentence is "At the fall of their house, the widow lost her husband, her sewing machine and her ear-rings." We need to name the literary device it illustrates.

Key concept:

• Bathos: a sudden, often unintentional drop from a serious or lofty idea to a trivial or ridiculous one. It creates an anticlimax.
• Pathos: language that evokes pity or sorrow.
• Epigram: a short, witty, memorable saying.
• Oxymoron: two contradictory terms placed together, such as "bitter sweet."

Step-by-step solution:

1. The list begins with something very serious: the loss of her husband, a human life.
2. It then moves to her sewing machine and her ear-rings, which are trivial by comparison.
3. Putting the husband in the same list as ordinary possessions makes the tone fall from grave to petty. This sudden descent is an anticlimax, which is the definition of bathos.
4. Pathos is not the best answer. The sentence mentions a sad situation, but its effect is the drop in seriousness, not a deepening of sympathy.
5. It is not an epigram, because it is not a witty, compact saying. It is not an oxymoron, because there are no contradictory words.

Correct answer: A. bathos

Exam tip: Look at how the items in a list are ordered. If they go from important to silly, think bathos. If the passage simply makes you feel sorry for someone, think pathos. A memory aid: BAthos = BAd drop, a fall in tone.