From the following options, choose the sentence which is an example of an Epigram:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Epigram:
- An epigram is a short, witty and memorable saying that states a wise or surprising truth, often through a contrast.
- This sentence, a line from Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Criticism", sets fools against angels: the foolish rush boldly into situations that the wise approach with great care. A sharp truth is put in a few pointed words.
Example: Oscar Wilde wrote, "I can resist everything except temptation."
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: She laughed from ear to ear. — Incorrect. It is a plain description of a very wide smile, an idiomatic exaggeration; it states no witty truth.
Option 3: Camel is a crucial animal of the desert. — Incorrect. It is a plain statement of fact, with no figure of speech and no wit.
Option 4: He is as proud as a peacock. — Incorrect. It is a simile: it compares the man with a peacock using "as ... as".