C, Minerva disguises him as an old beggar. The idea is that he wants to go unrecognized when he returns home to his people. You can figure that he's an old beggar based on phrases like "a man of miseries" and "uncouth".
However, if you have trouble reading older texts, websites like Sparknotes and Shmoop are great for getting summaries.
The delivery of a speech helps the audience understand the topic, what you're talking about, and keeps the speech on track.
For example, if you were giving a speech on Romeo and Juliet, you wouldn't want to get off topic by giving information about Shakespeare's life instead of information and analysis of the play.
B. A slave, like anyone else , can learn to read
Society is what best summarizes the role of conversation.