Question

question 4 - item 1
read the excerpt taken from the novel sense and sensibility, and then answer the question that follows.

1. bennet’s apprehensions were fully answered. his eldest was obliged to be fond of him; and he believed he had been fortunate enough to get such a man as mr. collins, who, adding to all the other valuable qualifications of understanding and good nature, had an unlimited gratitude for all his kindness, and was ready to catch at every thing he said with the most eager assent.

by dinner, however, the pride of mr. bennet was so great as to make him care little about his guest, and he was glad to see him go—for the drawing-room was again his own, and, what was still better, all the other rooms in the house were also his own. he could sit down to his book with enjoyment, after a look at his watch, and he was not disturbed by any thing more serious than the perpetual vexation of his wife, who complained that her clothes were not ready. he had no more to do with the choice of his daughter’s husband than with the choice of his own. the business of selecting a proper husband for elizabeth was now his only concern, and he was fully determined to do it with all the attention and care that it deserved.
in this scene, what does the narrator’s tone toward mr. bennet suggest about how readers should interpret his behavior toward mr. collins?
a) the narrator admires mr. bennet’s good nature and patience with mr. collins.
b) the narrator’s tone is ironic, so readers should interpret mr. bennet’s behavior as insincere.
c) the narrator describes mr. bennet as simply neglectful toward mr. collins’s attentions.
d) the narrator sympathizes with mr. bennet’s frustration and anger at his cousin’s pride.

Explanation:

Answer:

The narrator’s tone toward Mr. Benners suggests that readers should interpret his behavior toward Mr. Collins as being motivated by a sense of duty rather than genuine concern.