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Literary passages · Question 291 of 305

What picture of Mr Utterson does the paragraph give?

Question 291

MediumOriginal question

Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable. At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face, but more often and loudly in the acts of his life. He was with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to . “I incline to Cain’s heresy,” he used to say quaintly: “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of downgoing men. And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his .

What picture of Mr Utterson does the paragraph give?

Options for question 291

Show the answer and explanation
CorrectNot quiteAnswer B

Correct answer: B

Explanation

  1. Outside he is "cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse" and never smiles, "and yet somehow lovable".

  2. He is strict with himself but has "an approved tolerance for others" and prefers to help.

Worth noting

Helping "downgoing men" does not make him dishonest; he is "the last good influence" in their lives.

Concept
Finding the overall picture of a character
Typical time
45 s
Your time
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The rule this testsThe main idea and the best title
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Ten questions from Literary passages, at your own pace.

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Ten questions from Literary passages, at your own pace.