comprehension

[Joe]

Dear Teachers, I am quite confused by the following sentences:

1) Tonight's phone call had certainly roused her senses. Opus Dei had always made her uneasy.

What does "rouse one's senses" exactly mean?

2) The lecture had probably ruffled some conservative feathers in the audience.

I thought "feathers" here refers to some kind of people. But in the dictionary, I saw a "ruffle someone's feathers" item. Does the sentence have anything to do with the phrase in the dictionary?

3) ...employing methods as inspired as they are horrific.

Does it suggest that "the methods are both inspired and horrific"? This kind of comparing is kind of tricky, because to me, "being inspired" and "being horrific" are uncomparable--they are different qualities.


4) On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly.

He is kneeling with his hands and knees on the ground. Is it the position indicated by the black part?

Thanks very much.
:wink:

 

[Casiopea]

1) Tonight's phone call had certainly roused her senses. Opus Dei had always made her uneasy.

What does "rouse one's senses" exactly mean?

Alter one's senses, make one suspicious.

2) The lecture had probably ruffled some conservative feathers in the audience.

I thought "feathers" here refers to some kind of people. But in the dictionary, I saw a "ruffle someone's feathers" item. Does the sentence have anything to do with the phrase in the dictionary?

It's an idiom; it comes from birds; when a bird is uncomfortable or uneasy, it ruffles it's feathers.

To make one feel uneasy, uncomfortable.

3) ...employing methods as inspired as they are horrific.

Does it suggest that "the methods are both inspired and horrific"? This kind of comparing is kind of tricky, because to me, "being inspired" and "being horrific" are uncomparable--they are different qualities.

Yup. You got it. They are as inspired as they are horrific.

4) On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly.

He is kneeling with his hands and knees on the ground. Is it the position indicated by the black part?

Yes. He's kneeling on all fours: 2 knees and 2 hands.