Question

Based on this excerpt from F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams," what is the meaning of the word priggish? He stayed late at the dance. He sat for an hour with Irene Scheerer and talked about books and about music. He knew very little about either.But he was beginning to be master of his own time now, and he had a rather priggish notion that he—the young and already fabulously successful Dexter Green—should know more about such things. A. benign B. successful C. obnoxious D. definitive E. pessimistic

Answer 1

The meaning of the word priggish in the context of Scott Fitzgerlad's short story is obnoxious, option C. Dexter, one of the protagonists, had been seriously humiliated and hurt by the "innumerable little slights and indignities possible" from his then wife and was determined to change that situation. His little knowledge of the topics of the conversation was not an impediment to have an arrogant attitude.