To persuade the reader into buying a car.
The answer is letter b.
He gives her a kiss. He kiss Aunt
Sally in the mouth and that causes her to hit Tom with her spinning stick. She considers Tom’s behavior inappropriate
and disrespectful that prompted her to hit Tom.
If this is an excerpt from a story, I wouldn’t be of much help. But from a layman's perspective, it seems like the character is attempting to please the failed humorist or he or she would have been frank. This in turn may have triggered a chain reaction, prompting the humorist to continue with his jokes which would have further affected the character. He or she is also giving the former a false sense of happiness and appreciation.
This passage may not affect the whole story in a remarkably discernible manner, but it definitely proves the character's penchant for politeness. And that may be be a deciding factor in his or her further decisions that ultimately define the plot of the story.
