The answer is D. "In fact, he declared it was of no use to work on his farm; it was the most pestilent little piece of ground in the whole country..."
Step-by-step explanation:
Characterization is a literary device used to present characters. In the case of indirect characterization, the features of characters are not directly explained but presented through their actions or words. This occurs in option D. because the narrator does not define the personality of Rip Van Winkle in this option but only explains his decision to refuse to work and through this, it is shown, Rip Van Winkle is lazy and does not feel happy about his farm.