Question

\janes\ from the wit and humor of america, volume vi (of x)
by lloyd osbourne (excerpt)
(1) i could have taken the and gave away to her and never bothered her again. i told her so straight out in the first angry flush of my rejection - but the strange thing was, with everything left hanging in the air, so to speak, made a hollow foot like thirty cents.
(2) \it simply means that im engaged and you are not, \ i said
(3) \its nothing of the kind, \ she returned tearfully. \youre as free as free, ezra. you can go away this moment, and never write or anything\
(4) her lips trembled as she said this, and i confess it gave me a kind of savage pleasure to feel that it was still in my power to hurt her
(5) it may sound unkind, but still you must admit that the whole situation was exasperating. here was five - foot - five of exquisite, blooming, twenty - year - old american girlhood sending away the man she confessed to care for, because, forsooth, she would not marry before her elder sister! i always thought it was beautiful of freddy (she was named frederica, you know) to be always so sweet and tender and grateful about eleanor, but sometimes gratitude can be carried altogether too far, even if you are an orphan, and were brought up by hand. eleanor was thirty - four if a day - a nice enough woman, of course, and college - bred, and cultivated, and clever - but her long suit wasnt good looks.
(6)
o, \ repeated freddy, \i shall never, never marry before eleanor. it would mortify her - i know it would - and make her feel that she herself had failed. shes awfully frank about those things, ezra - surprisingly frank. i dont see why being an old maid is always supposed to be so funny, do you? its touching and tragic in a woman whod like to marry and who isnt asked!\
(7) \but eleanor must have had heaps of offers, \ i said, \surely - \
select the correct answer
read the excerpt from the passage.
(50) \wait a second, ezra!\
(51) she rose and went into the next room, reappearing with something in her hand. she was crying and smiling both at once. i took the little case she gave me - it was like one of those things that pen - knives are put in - and looked at her for an explanation
(52) \its the h - h - hindleg of a j - j - jack - rabbit, \ she said, \shot by a g - g - grave at the f - f - full of the moon. its supposed to be f - f - lucky. it was given to me by a naval officer who got drowned. its the only way i can h - h - help you!\
what can be inferred about freddy from her actions in the excerpt?
a. she does not believe ezra will be able to find dr. jones.
b. she fears ezra will get hurt.
c. she believes eleanor and dr. jones are meant for each other.
d. she truly wants to marry ezra.

Explanation:

Freddy gives Ezra a lucky item (the h - h - hindleg of a j - j - jack - rabbit) that was given to her by a naval officer who got drowned. The act of giving a lucky charm implies that she is concerned about Ezra's well - being and fears he might get hurt. There is no indication in the text that she doesn't believe he can find Dr. Jones (no mention of Dr. Jones' search difficulty), no mention of Eleanor and Dr. Jones being meant for each other, and her previous statements in the text (like "I shall never, never marry before Eleanor") suggest she is not focused on marrying Ezra at this moment.

Answer:

B. She fears Ezra will get hurt.