This question is incomplete. I've found the complete question online. It is the following:
Select the correct definition of the word derided based on the context of the following line from James Joyce’s “Araby.”
Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity
rebuked
mocked
saddened
motivated
Answer:
The correct definition for the word "derided" based on the context is:
B. mocked.
Step-by-step explanation:
As a matter of fact, there is no other option for the word "derided". To deride means to make fun of, to ridicule, or to express contempt for. Among the alternatives provided, the only one that has a close meaning to that is letter b. mocked. What the speaker is saying is that, even though vanity motives him, it also makes fun of him.
Araby is a short story by author James Joyce, published in 1914.