Question

determining perspective

now and then some trivial argument would break out, and one of them would kill another one, and all the others would detach themselves from the killer as neatly as blood clotting, and theyd consider the case and theyd either excuse him, for some reason, or else send him out to the forest to live by stealing from their outlying pens like a wounded fox. at times i would try to befriend the exile, at other times i would try to ignore him, but they were treacherous. in the end, i had to eat them.
-grendel, john gardner

what is grendels perspective on the people he observes?

he thinks they are weak and amusing.
he thinks they are brave and honorable.
he thinks they are friendly and caring.
he thinks they are violent and untrustworthy.

Explanation:

Analyze the text for Grendel's observations of human behavior

The passage describes humans killing one another over "some trivial argument," casting out the killer to live "like a wounded fox," and behaving in a way that Grendel explicitly describes as "treacherous."

Evaluate the character's explicit conclusion

Grendel directly states: "but they were treacherous. In the end, I had to eat them." This directly supports the perspective that they are violent and untrustworthy.

Match findings with the multiple-choice options

The option "He thinks they are violent and untrustworthy" directly aligns with the text's description of trivial killings and explicit labeling of the people as "treacherous."

Answer:

• He thinks they are weak and amusing.
• He thinks they are brave and honorable.
• He thinks they are friendly and caring.
• He thinks they are violent and untrustworthy. (Correct answer)