In the third sentence of the third paragraph, the phrase “however volatile” primarily serves to A. suggest that a characteristic of witty people is more common than generally supposed

B. demonstrate wit by developing a metaphor introduced earlier in the passage

C. identify one of the weaknesses typically exhibited by imaginative minds

D. qualify a generalization by narrowing the set of people to which it applies

E. strengthen a claim by indicating that it applies even to exceptional cases

E. strengthen a claim by indicating that it applies even to exceptional cases

Explanation:

Answer E

Correct. In this sentence, the author makes the claim that melancholy can make one’s imagination “torpid” (sluggish), and that lack of appropriate occasions can prevent the mind from coming up with “sallies and excursions” (clever remarks). He strengthens the claim by extending it to the most exceptional cases when he indicates that it applies to any mind “however volatile,” that is, even to those that are normally the liveliest and most wide-ranging.

E

Explanation:

strengthen a claim by indicating that it applies even to exceptional cases.