The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex. Their estate was large, and their residence was at Norland Park, in the
centre of their property, where, for many generations, they had lived in so respectable a manner as to engage the general good opinion of their surrounding acquaintance. The late owner of this estate was a single man, who lived to a very advanced age, and who for many years of his life, had a constant companion and housekeeper in his sister. But her death, which happened ten years before his own, produced a great alteration in his home; for to supply her loss, he invited and received into his house the family of his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood, the legal inheritor of the Norland estate, and the person to whom he intended to bequeath it. In the society of his nephew and niece, and their children, the old Gentleman's days were comfortably spent. His attachment to them all increased. The constant attention of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood to his wishes, which proceeded not merely from interest, but from goodness of heart, gave him every degree of solid comfort which his age could receive; and the cheerfulness of the children added a relish to his existence. What is the central idea communicated in this paragraph?
A) that the Dashwood family is well-established and respected by many
B) that Mr. Henry Dashwood is a very difficult and angry individual
C) that Mrs. Henry Dashwood is a cruel and unkind lady
D) that the Dashwood family is filled with greedy money-grubbers
A) that the Dashwood family is well-established and respected by many
Explanation:
-"proceeded not merely from interest, but from goodness of heart, gave him every degree of solid comfort which his age could receive; and the cheerfulness of the children added a relish to his existence."
-"they had lived in so respectable a manner as to engage the general good opinion of their surrounding acquaintance"
Top-left: Wealth worship. The landlord is so impressed and intimidated by the bank note that he barely dares to take it.
Middle-left: Impending doom. You can tell that the narrator is experiencing a sense of upcoming catastrophe through phrases like "I judged that there as going to be a crash." The situation the narrator is in also involves danger: "I must swim across or drown."
Top-right: Rags to riches. Taken literally, this expression means going from the poorest to the wealthiest one possibly can be. But in this context, it is more about 'social riches:' the character goes from being insignificant in the eyes of others, to widely influential.
Middle-right: Wealth worship. The landlord is willing to accept any of the narrator's whims simply because he is wealthy, but at the same time, he fears him and his power: "he hoped he wasn't afraid to trust as rich a gentleman as I was."
Bottom: Impending doom. The threatening danger here is expressed by the fact that a "thin crust" is all that keeps the narrator from falling into the crater.
