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Read these lines: "God bless us every one! said Tiny Tim, the last of all. He sat very close to his father's side upon his little stool. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him." What do the quoted lines suggest about the father?
AHe is afraid that the child will not live long
BHe is annoyed that the child has spoken last
CHe is teaching the child to sit up straight
DHe is warming the child's hand by the fire
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. He is afraid that the child will not live long
1. The child's hand is called withered, which marks him as frail.
2. The father holds that hand and keeps the boy close beside him.
3. The narrator gives the reason as a dread that the child might be taken from him.
4. Taken from him, said of a frail child, points to death rather than to any journey.
5. So the father is afraid the boy will not live, option A. Warmth and posture are never mentioned.
_Source: Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843), Stave III The Second of the Three Spirits_
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