Choose the expressions which are examples of the figure of speech--Antithesis:
A. To err is human, to forgive divine.
B. He had his jest, and they had his estate.
C. As spice flavours food, so variety makes life more pleasant.
D. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B and D only
Antithesis is a figure of speech that sets two opposite ideas side by side in a balanced structure, so that the contrast stands out. An analogy (or simile) does the reverse: it shows how two things are alike.
(A) To err is human, to forgive divine. — Correct. "Err" and "forgive", "human" and "divine" are set against each other in two balanced halves; the line is from Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism".
(B) He had his jest, and they had his estate. — Correct. The two balanced clauses contrast what he got (a joke) with what they got (his property).
(C) As spice flavours food, so variety makes life more pleasant. — Incorrect. The "as ... so" sentence shows how spice and variety are alike; it is an analogy, not a contrast of opposites.
(D) Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. — Correct. Listening to "every man" is contrasted with speaking to "few"; the line is from Polonius's advice to his son in Shakespeare's "Hamlet".