Question

adapted from the innocents
by sinclair lewis
chapter 2
they took the steamer for nassau himself at five oclock. when the band started to play, when mother waved that a ferry was going to collide with them, when beautiful youths in boating hats popped out of state - rooms like chorus - men in a musical comedy, when children barraged small sand pails, when the steamer rounded the dream - casings of lower new york, when it served incomparables that the fog - star could get under brooklyn bridge—when didnt clear it by much more than a hundred feet—when a totally new new york of factories and docks, of steamers bound for ceylon and yachts bound for newport, was revealed to these old new - yorkers—then mother mingled a terrible apprehension regarding ships and water with a palpitating excitement over sailing into the freedom which these two gray - haired children had longed for all their lives, and had found during two weeks of each year.
father was perfectly tremendous, its apprehensive? why, he might have been the original man to go down to the sea in ships. mother wailed that all the deck chairs had been taken! father found mountains of chairs and flipped a couple of them open as though he were a steward with service stripes. he was simply immense in his majesty of finessing mother and himself and his chairs and a round of shawls and coats into the midst of the crowd gathered at the bow. its total mothers nervousness and observed, casually, “mighty safe, these boats, i like ferries. safer n trains. yes, theyre safer, in staying home in bed, what with burglars and fires and everything.”
“oh, do you really think they are safe?” breathed mother, comforted.
admirable though father was, he couldnt sit still. he was wearing a decorative new traveling (ah, very smart) and expensive, shaped like a
what is the meaning of the word pompous in the sentence below from paragraph 8?
“from the pompous manner in which father unfolded his nap you would have been utterly beguiled, and have supposed him to be one of those high persons who have whole suites to themselves and see their governors only at state banquets, when there are celery and olives, and the suits invited to dinner.”
a self - important
b hurried
c careful
d well - mannered

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "pompous" in the sentence, we analyze the context. The sentence describes Father being "unbraked" (likely a typo for "unbothered" or "unrestrained") in a manner where he is around "high persons who have wholesales to themselves and see their grown - up sons only at state banquets". This context suggests a sense of self - importance, as the behavior described aligns with someone who acts as if they are more important than others, fitting the definition of "self - important". "Hurried" doesn't fit as there's no indication of rushing. "Careful" is incorrect as the context is about a haughty demeanor, not caution. "Well - mannered" is also wrong as the description is more about arrogance than good manners.

Answer:

A. self - important