Question

The following question is taken from a passage written by Mark Twain in his novel, The Prince and the Pauper . The story centers on the premise that a youth born in poverty trades places with a boy of his age and identical appearance who is a prince and heir to the throne of England. Read the passage carefully to answer the question. Tom was conducted to the principal apartment of a noble suite, and made to sit down—a thing which he was loth to do, since there were elderly men and men of high degree about him. He begged them to be seated also, but they only bowed their thanks or murmured them, and remained standing. He would have insisted, but his “uncle” the Earl of Hertford whispered in his ear—

“Prithee, insist not my lord; it is not meet that they sit in thy presence.”
The Lord St. John was announced, and after making obeisance to Tom, he said—
“I come upon the King’s errand, concerning a matter which requireth privacy. Will it please your royal highness to dismiss all that attend you here, save my lord the Earl of Hertford?”
Based on the passage, the word meet
signifies _______ and the word prithee
probably means _______. A. appropriate behavior / “I pray thee” B. required modesty / “I believe thee” C. appropriate modesty / “behold” D. required disclosure / “I command thee”

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. appropriate behavior / “I pray thee”

Step-by-step explanation:

In most cases, the meaning of unknown words or unfamiliar words can be understood by analyzing the context in which they are presenting, considering the context provided in the text and the word that surround unfamiliar words provide essential clues on the meaning of this words. In the case presented, the passage introduces the content of "The Prince and the Pauper" and explains this story is about two boys one that is poor and one that is Prince that decide to trade places.

In the passage, the poor boy who is replacing the Prince is asked to sit down, but he is reluctant to do it because in the room there are older men and men who are more important. Due to this, his uncle who does not know he is not the Prince says to him "Prithee, insist not my lord; it is not meet that they sit in thy presence", this context shows the word "meet" in "it is not meet that they sit in thy presence" means that this behavior was not the most suitable or that it was not an "appropriate behavior" because the other men should stay stand and the Prince should sit. On the other hand, this context reveals the word "Prithee" means please, I beg you or "I pray thy" as the uncle asks the boy to stop insisting because it is not suitable. Thus, the word "meet" means "appropriate behavior" and the word "prithee" means "I pray thee" (Option A).