More than one answer?

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gloria0402@gmail.com - 30 Nov 2007 06:24 GMT

Dear all,

One of my students had a different opinion about the answer to the
test question, but my colleague didn't agree. Would you give me a
second opinion. Thanks in advance. The test question is as follows,

He is such a good detective that he can catch people's reactions from
the ___ facial expressions and obtain these very useful clues.

a) tremulous b) fleeting c) magnificent d) deformed

The answer my colleague provided was b) fleeting, but my student
thought a) tremulous may as well make sense. What do you think?

Gloria

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Odysseus - 30 Nov 2007 09:43 GMT

In article
<fe9732f8-434d-418c-9a4e-1f1aa1d29525@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,

> He is such a good detective that he can catch people's reactions from
> the ___ facial expressions and obtain these very useful clues.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> The answer my colleague provided was b) fleeting, but my student
> thought a) tremulous may as well make sense. What do you think?

I can't imagine what a tremulous facial expression would look like. Try
some synonyms: quivering, trembling, shaky expressions -- none of these
sounds quite apt to me, but I suppose they could be defended as examples
of synecdoche. Idiom aside, though, I think "fleeting" makes much more
sense, especially in association with "catch" -- timidity is something
more likely to be sensed, perceived, or read.

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Odysseus

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2007

More than one answer?