Question

read the excerpt from julius caesar, act 2, scene 2. decius. caesar, all hail! good morrow, worthy caesar. i come to fetch you to the senate house. caesar. and you are come in very happy time to bear my greeting to the senators and tell them that i will not come today. cannot is false, and that i dare not, falser. i will not come today; tell them so, decius. calpurnia. say he is sick. caesar. shall caesar send a lie? have i in conquest stretched mine arm so far, to be afraid to tell greybeards the truth? decius, go tell them caesar will not come. what does the image of in conquest stretched mine arm so far suggest about the meaning of the passage? caesars arms are tired from battle, and he wants to stay home from the senate. it is ridiculous that a man who has won so many battles would be afraid to tell the truth. a man who is ill should honor how he feels and not lie about it to others. caesar has grown old and should consider spending more time at home.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the quote "Have I in conquest stretched mine arm so far, To be afraid to tell greybeards the truth?". The phrase "in conquest stretched mine arm so far" refers to Caesar's many military victories. The question is about why he wouldn't lie, so we evaluate the options:

• Option 1: The quote isn't about tired arms but about his conquests and truth - telling, so eliminate.
• Option 2: Caesar is saying that after achieving so much in conquests, it's ridiculous (illogical) for him to be afraid to tell the truth to the senators (greybeards). This matches the meaning of the passage.
• Option 3: The passage isn't about being ill but about truth - telling and conquests, so eliminate.
• Option 4: The passage isn't about growing old or staying home but about truth - telling, so eliminate.

Answer:

B. It is ridiculous that a man who has won so many battles would be afraid to tell the truth.