Question

read the passage from the arabian nights entertainments.

sire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that he could scarcely manage to support his wife and three children. he went every day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throw his nets more than four times. he started out one morning by moonlight and came to the sea-shore. he undressed and threw his nets, and as he was drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. he thought he had caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased. but a moment afterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets the carcase of an ass, he was much disappointed.

vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which the carcase of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them a second time.

the main characters motivation is to

keep his nets clean of dirt.
support his wife and three children.
be up and working by moonlight.
catch stones, shells, and mud.

Explanation:

Identify the main character's goal

Using the Character Motivation Analysis knowledge point, we examine the opening lines of the passage to find what drives the protagonist. The text introduces "a fisherman so old and so poor that he could scarcely manage to support his wife and three children." This establishes his primary struggle and the reason behind his daily labor.

Analyze the supporting evidence

Using the Textual Evidence knowledge point, we look at the character's actions. He goes out "every day to fish very early" to catch fish. The text explicitly links his poverty and the need to "support his wife and three children" as the underlying reason for this daily routine, making it his core motivation.

Evaluate the multiple-choice options

• keep his nets clean of dirt: Incorrect. Cleaning his nets is a chore he must do after a bad haul, not his primary motivation.
• support his wife and three children: Correct. This directly matches the explicit reason given in the text for his daily fishing.
• be up and working by moonlight: Incorrect. Working by moonlight is a detail about his schedule, not his ultimate goal.
• catch stones, shells, and mud: Incorrect. These are accidental, unwanted items caught in his net, not his objective.

Answer:

• keep his nets clean of dirt.
• support his wife and three children. (Correct answer)
• be up and working by moonlight.
• catch stones, shells, and mud.