Question 122
HardOriginal questionNo one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and , were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard—and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings—and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good . She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on—lived to have six children more—to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features—so much for her person; and not less for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boys’ plays, and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush.
Why does the writer say the father "was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters"?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
In the romantic novels of the time, heroines often had cruel fathers who imprisoned them.
Saying that her father did no such thing is a joke at those novels.
Worth noting
Nothing suggests the daughters needed locking up; the joke is about novels, not about the girls.
- Concept
- Understanding a humorous allusion
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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