Based on the following description of the Nun, which word BEST describes her?
At meat her manners were well taught withal; / No morsel from her lips did she let fall, / Nor dipped her fingers in the sauce too deep; / But she could carry a morsel up and keep / The smallest drop from falling on her breast. / For courtliness she had a special zest,
A.ill-tempered
B.awkward
C.ambitious
D.tender-hearted
To me, non of the answers make sense with the given statement, but I think the answer may be C or D, I really don't know, though. The help is appreciated :)
I agree with you that none of those descriptions make sense. That passage is describing meticulous eating habits, refined manners, etc.
Be sure to let your teacher know that this is a bad question ... or that the question is fine, but the answer choices are not good.
So which answer should I chose? I think I might go with B because she is a nun trying act as refined as those of the Court, I guess that makes her ambitious
C is about as close as you're going to get, I think!
Oh, I meant C for ambitious. Thanks!
You're welcome!
Based on the given description of the Nun, the word that BEST describes her would be D. tender-hearted.
To arrive at this answer, let's break down the details provided in the description:
- "At meat her manners were well taught withal" suggests that the Nun had good manners while eating. She was likely polite and considerate at the dining table.
- "No morsel from her lips did she let fall" indicates that she was careful and precise in her actions, ensuring that no food dropped from her mouth.
- "Nor dipped her fingers in the sauce too deep" implies that she was not messy or clumsy while eating.
- "But she could carry a morsel up and keep the smallest drop from falling on her breast" suggests her exceptional skill in avoiding any food spillage.
- "For courtliness, she had a special zest" implies that she had a strong inclination towards being gracious and refined.
From these details, we can infer that the Nun's behavior reflects tenderness, carefulness, and thoughtfulness towards not only herself but also others. This aligns best with the word "tender-hearted" (D).
It's important to note that analyzing literature or poetry can involve subjective interpretation, and different individuals may have various perspectives on how to interpret a character. In this case, our analysis suggests that "tender-hearted" fits the description most accurately.