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Read these lines: "How beautiful are the noble children! How large are their eyes!" said the jackal. Now, Tabaqui knew as well as anyone else that there is nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces. It pleased him to see Mother and Father Wolf look uncomfortable." What does this reveal about the jackal?
AHe admires the cubs more than he admits
BHe does not know the customs of the hills
CHe praises them on purpose, to make them uneasy
DHe hopes to be given one of the cubs
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. He praises them on purpose, to make them uneasy
1. 1. The praise looks harmless until the next sentence supplies what he knew.
2. 2. He knew as well as anyone that praising children to their faces is unlucky, so the words were not innocent.
3. 3. His pleasure at their discomfort shows the effect was the aim.
4. 4. Option B misses the point, since knowing the custom makes the praise a tool rather than genuine admiration.
5. 5. Option C is denied outright by the words he knew as well as anyone else.
_Source: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894)_
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