Question

Read these excerpts from Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist and identify the meaning of the words in bold based on their context. (bold words are actually in the brackets [])
Now, Mr. Bumble was a fat man, and a [choleric]; so, instead of responding to this open-hearted salutation in a kindred spirit, he gave the little wicket a tremendous shake, and then bestowed upon it a kick which could have emanated from no leg but a beadle's.

…..

Oliver, having had by this time as much of the outer coat of dirt which [encrusted] his face and hands, removed, as could be scrubbed off in one washing, was led into the room by his benevolent protectress.

…..

The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again; and when they had performed this operation (which never took very long, the spoons being nearly as large as the bowls), they would sit staring at the copper, with such eager eyes, as if they could have devoured the very bricks of which it was composed; employing themselves, meanwhile, in sucking their fingers most [assiduously], with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon.

choleric = a) sickly
b) cheerful
c) bad-tempered
d) childish

encrusted = a) dried
b) covered
c) smoothed
d) separated

assiduously = a) savagely
b) unwillingly
c) erroneously
d) eagerly

Answer 1

C) Bad tempered 
B) Covered 
D) Eagerly

Answer 2

The meaning of the words from these excerpts of Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist" are

1-B: Choleric is a synonym of bad tempered.

2-B: Encrusted can be replaced with the word covered.

3-D: Assidiously is an adverb that means eagerly.