All Manjiro could think of were all the questions he wanted to ask. But he could not speak their strange tongue, and even if he could, he would probably be punished. Silence and obedience were the safest route to staying alive.
That night, lying in his bunk, Manjiro couldn’t help trying the new words. "Buttons,” he whispered. "Pockets. Shoes. Bread.” Bread was hard to say. He tried again and again. "Captain,” he said. "Whitfield.”
"What are you doing?” Goemon said.
"Maybe if I learn some words, I can ask questions.”
Goemon groaned. "More questions!”
"If we don’t learn their language, how will we know what they intend to do to us?”
"Every time you ask questions, we get into trouble.”
"You are right,” Manjiro said, "but don’t you wonder so many things? Why are there so many barbarians on such a big ship? Why are there so many small boats? What are those big cooking pots for?”
"One of those pots is big enough to fit both of us!” Goemon said.
Manjiro shivered.
What do the details in this excerpt help readers to infer about Manjiro?
He is rebellious toward authority.
He likes to learn new things.
He does not like to learn new things.
He is not afraid of the barbarians.