Question

fyodor dostoevsky (1821 - 1881) was a russian author. the following excerpt is from one of his most acclaimed novels, crime and punishment, which centers around a young man who struggles with guilt after committing murder.
carefully read the text \excerpt from crime and punishment: chapter 1.\ then, answer each question by choosing the best response. for the short response prompt, write your answer in complete sentences, and cite any evidence used to support your answer.
on an exceptionally sweltering evening early in july, a young man exited the garret in which he lodged in s. place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards k. bridge.
he had successfully avoided encountering his landlady on the staircase. his garret was located under the roof of a towering, five - storied house and resembled more of a cupboard than a room. the landlady who provided him with the garret, dinners, and attendance, lived on the floor below, and every time he went out, he was obliged to pass her kitchen, the door of which invariably stood open. and each time he passed, the young man experienced a nauseous, frightened feeling, which made him scowl and feel ashamed, as he was hopelessly in debt to his landlady and, consequently, feared crossing paths with her.
this was not because he was cowardly and abject (quite the contrary), but for some time past, he had been in an overstrained, irritable condition, verging on hypochondria. he had become so completely absorbed in himself and isolated from his fellows whom he dreaded meeting - not only his landlady, but anyone at all. he was crushed by poverty, but the anxieties of his position had of late ceased to weigh upon him. he had given up attending to matters of practical importance, having lost all desire to do so. nothing that any landlady could do had a real terror for him, but to be stopped on the stairs, to be forced to listen to her trivial, irrelevant gossip, to pestering demands for payment, threats and complaints, and to rack his brains for excuses, to prevaricate, to lie - no, rather

Explanation:

The text states that the young man "successfully avoided encountering his landlady" and "feared crossing paths with her" due to being in debt. This indicates a tense or troubled relationship. "Fraught" means filled with distress or difficulty, which fits this context. "Amiable" (friendly) is incorrect as there's no indication of friendliness. "Nonchalant" (casual) doesn't match his fear. "Tedious" (boring) is also not relevant to the relationship described.

Answer:

B. fraught