Question

which word best describes the attitude of the queen toward the princess in \princess and pea\?

hopeless

disappointed

skeptical

optimistic

Explanation:

Analyze the character's situation

In Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea," a young woman arrives at the castle gate during a storm claiming to be a real princess. The old queen is doubtful of this claim because of the girl's bedraggled appearance from the storm. To test her, the queen decides to place a single pea under twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds to see if the girl is sensitive enough to feel it, which would prove her royal status.

Evaluate the queen's attitude

Using Character Analysis, we examine the queen's thoughts and actions. Instead of immediately believing the girl or completely rejecting her, the queen thinks to herself, "We shall soon find that out," and devises a secret test. This action of testing the girl's claim shows that the queen is doubtful, questioning, and wants proof.

Connect to the options

Using Making Inferences based on the queen's silent plan to test the princess:

• "hopeless" suggests a complete lack of hope, which does not fit her proactive testing.
• "disappointed" implies sadness over a failed expectation, which is not her primary state when the princess first arrives.
• "skeptical" means having doubts or being questioning about a claim, which perfectly matches her attitude of wanting to verify if the girl is a "real" princess.
• "optimistic" means hopeful and confident about the future, which does not align with her guarded, testing nature here.

Therefore, "skeptical" is the best descriptor.

Answer:

• hopeless
• disappointed
• skeptical (Correct answer)
• optimistic