The exception in the given scenario is Tom's wife, who moved close to him, while the statement doesn't elaborate on the movements or actions of everything else in the vicinity.
The correct answer is option b. "What was the exception in the vicinity?"
In the provided statement, the exception in the vicinity is Tom's wife, who moved close to him. The phrase "except his wife who moved close to Tom" indicates that she is the anomaly in contrast to everything else around, suggesting that she is the one who exhibited movement towards Tom while others did not. The statement does not provide information about the specific actions or movements of everything else in the vicinity, making "What was the exception in the vicinity?" the most appropriate question to ask in this context.