In this excerpt, Richard Lewis states, “It was almost as if everybody was trying it on.” What does the phrase “trying it on” imply?
A) The people of Madagascar are frequenting department stores for supplies.
B) A great many people who had not poached tortoises before were suddenly doing it.
C) Many of the citizens in Madagascar are assisting law officials with hunting traffickers.
D) The people of Madagascar are assisting conservationists in protecting wildlife.
In this excerpt, Richard Lewis states, “It was almost as if everybody was trying it on.” What does the phrase “trying it on” imply?
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The correct answer is B) A great many people who had not poached tortoises before were suddenly doing it.
The phrase “trying it on” implies experimenting or testing something new, often in a way that suggests a lack of seriousness or genuine intent. In this context, it suggests that many individuals who had not previously engaged in poaching were suddenly attempting it, possibly as a response to changing circumstances. This conveys a sense of opportunism or novelty regarding the act of poaching tortoises.