What could be called ironically paradoxical about what happens to the king in this story? A) He has over 200 wives, but no son.
Eliminate B) He conquers countries, kills the old people, and enslaves the young. C) He marries Adiaha as a political gestures, and then winds up forgetting who she is. D) He is a powerful ruler, but winds up getting manipulated by both his head wife and "the spider."
Jonah can add video clips of well known english children's books and movies.
i would say this is the best option since the kids will be engaged and connected once they see something recognizable. visuals are also a good way to engage your audience.
So, I think that the most loaded word is "sharply" : it provides a judgement: that the split over the issue was very big ("sharp"). The other words could be used to just describe the situation (although the situation is loaded itself).
