Question

read the excerpt from act i, scene ii of romeo and juliet
nurse: faith, i can tell her age unto an hour.
lady capulet: she’s not fourteen.
nurse: i’ll lay fourteen of my teeth—
and yet to my teen be it spoken i have but four—
she is not fourteen. how long is it now
to lammas-tide?
lady capulet: a fortnight and odd days.
nurse: even or odd, of all days in the year,
come lammas-eve at night shall she be
the nurse can be viewed as a comic figure in the excerpt because of her
○ careless housekeeping
○ willingness to serve
○ roundabout answer
○ firm religious beliefs

Explanation:

To determine why the Nurse is a comic figure, we analyze her response. When asked about Juliet's age, she starts with a playful, roundabout statement ("I'll lay fourteen of my teeth—And yet to my teen be it spoken I have but four—") instead of a direct answer, which is characteristic of a roundabout answer. The other options: "careless housekeeping" is not shown, "willingness to serve" is not comedic here, and "firm religious beliefs" are not evident in this excerpt.

Answer:

C. roundabout answer