Question

(5) ...he remembered his faithful lady in verona; he called to mind the duty he owed his dear friend valentine. but for the moment his weak and selfish nature carried him beyond control.

which sentence best states how the excerpt develops the theme of the passage?

it reinforces the inconsistency of friendship.
it reveals proteuss struggle between loyalty and passion.
it explains the difficulty of owing a favor to someone.
it demonstrates the power of true love.

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt's content

The excerpt states: "...He remembered his faithful lady in Verona; he called to mind the duty he owed his dear friend Valentine. But for the moment his weak and selfish nature carried him beyond control." This shows a character (Proteus) remembering his commitments (loyalty to his lady and his friend Valentine) but being overcome by his own desires ("weak and selfish nature").

Evaluate the options against the text

• "It reinforces the inconsistency of friendship": Incorrect, as the conflict is internal and involves both his lady and his friend.
• "It reveals Proteus's struggle between loyalty and passion": Correct, as remembering his lady and friend represents loyalty, while his "weak and selfish nature" carrying him away represents yielding to passion.
• "It explains the difficulty of owing a favor to someone": Incorrect, "duty" here refers to moral/loyal obligation, not a transactional favor.
• "It demonstrates the power of true love": Incorrect, his yielding to a "weak and selfish nature" contradicts true love.

Select the best option

The second option accurately describes the internal conflict between loyalty (remembering his lady and friend) and passion (his weak, selfish nature carrying him beyond control).

Answer:

• It reinforces the inconsistency of friendship.
• It reveals Proteus's struggle between loyalty and passion. (Correct answer)
• It explains the difficulty of owing a favor to someone.
• It demonstrates the power of true love.