Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
An exemplum is a story used to illustrate a broader moral or thematic point. It was often employed within religious sermons. Popular during the Middle Ages, this device featured prominently in collections of tales. These tales—both historical and legendary—were compiled for preachers to use in their teachings. In The Pardoner's Tale by Chaucer, the author uses an exemplum to convey the message "Greed is the root of all evil." He tells the story of three drunken revelers who set out to find and confront Death. Instead, they discover a treasure. In their greed, they kill one another to gain sole possession of the gold. By doing so, they meet Death in the end.
The term "exemplum," once tied to religious discourse, now applies more broadly to stories used in formal, nonreligious exhortations. For instance, in The Nun's Priest's Tale, Chaucer's Chanticleer employs this approach and presents at least ten exempla. He uses them to try to convince his skeptical wife, Dame Pertelote, that bad dreams can signal disaster. His efforts ultimately fail. Still, the use of exempla remains a compelling means of argumentation and moral instruction.
What is the main function of an exemplum in discourse?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
Strengthen arguments using illustrative examples
Explanation
The passage defines an exemplum right in the first sentence as "a story used to illustrate a broader moral or thematic point." The final sentence reinforces this functional definition by stating that the use of exempla "remains a compelling means of argumentation and moral instruction." By providing a narrative or historical account, the speaker effectively uses an illustrative case to give weight, clarity, and persuasive strength to their central thesis or message.
The other choices inaccurately describe the purpose of the literary device. Option 1 implies a deliberate distortion or erasure of reality, which is incorrect since exempla can be based on real historical events. Option 3 claims the purpose is pure entertainment without serious meaning, which directly contradicts the text's assertion that it carries a broader moral point. Option 4 suggests the purpose is confusion through unrelated storytelling, whereas the device is explicitly chosen to clarify and support the speaker's main theme.
Key Point
The core function of an exemplum in both historical religious sermons and modern nonreligious discourse is persuasion through illustration. It serves as a narrative evidence tool to make an abstract argument more relatable, understandable, and convincing to an audience.