Question

read the excerpt from grendel. i was safe in my tree, and the men who fought were nothing to me, except of course that they talked in something akin to my language, which meant that we were, incredibly, related. i was sickened, if only at the waste of it: all they killed - cows, horses, men - they left to rot or burn. i sacked all i could and tried to store it, but my mother would growl and make faces because of the stink. how is grendel characterized in this excerpt? he is weak and easily disgusted by dead animals. he is careful and respectful of animal life. he is cruel and disobedient to his mothers wishes. he is considerate and mindful of the fighting men.

Explanation:

Grendel is sickened by the waste of life (cows, horses, men left to rot or burn) and tries to store what he can, showing he is careful and respectful of animal life. The other options are incorrect: there's no indication he's weak (first option), he's not cruel (third option - he's reacting to others' cruelty), and he's not mindful of the fighting men (fourth option - he's apart from them and focused on the waste).

Answer:

He is careful and respectful of animal life.