Question

brutus. he is not doubted.—a word, lucillius.
how he received you let me be resolved.
lucillius. with courtesy and with respect enough,
but not with such familiar instances,
nor with such free and friendly conference,
as he hath used of old.
brutus. thou hast described
a hot friend cooling. ever note, lucillius:
when love begins to sicken and decay
it useth an enforced ceremony.
there are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
but hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
make gallant show and promise of their mettle;
but when they should endure the bloody spur,
they fall their crests and like deceitful jades

based on this passage, how have the interactions between characters changed? choose two options.

• cassius has decided to be more trusting of lucillius.
• brutus has come to appreciate his friendship with cassius.
• the conflict between cassius and others is becoming strained.
• brutus says cassius is pretending to be friendly.
• the conflict between brutus and lucillius causes brutus to distrust lucillius.

Explanation:

1. Analyze "The conflict between Cassius and others is becoming strained": Lucillius says Cassius received him with courtesy/respect but not with old - time familiarity (free and friendly conference). This shows a change in their interaction, with the relationship straining as the friendly ease is gone.
2. Analyze "Brutus says Cassius is pretending to be friendly": Brutus describes Cassius as a "hot friend cooling" and says that when love decays, it uses "enforced ceremony". This implies Cassius is putting on a show of friendliness (enforced ceremony) rather than being genuinely friendly, so Brutus thinks he is pretending.

Eliminate other options:

• "Cassius has decided to be more trusting of Lucillius" is wrong as the interaction shows less familiarity, not more trust.
• "Brutus has come to appreciate his friendship with Cassius" is wrong as Brutus is noting the cooling of their friendship.
• "The conflict between Brutus and Lucillius causes Brutus to distrust Lucillius" is wrong as Brutus is asking Lucillius for information, no sign of distrust between them.

Answer:

C. The conflict between Cassius and others is becoming strained.
D. Brutus says Cassius is pretending to be friendly.