Question

11 skiff miller shook his head, no longer belligerent, but kindly, quick to be generous in response to generosity. 12 i had five dogs, he said, casting about for the easiest way to temper his refusal. he was the leader. they was the crack team of alaska. nothin could touch em. in 1898 i refused five thousand dollars for the bunch. dogs was high, then, anyway; but that wasnt what made the fancy price. it was the team itself. brown was the best in the team. that winter i refused twelve hundred for m. i didnt sell m then, an i aint a - sellin m now. besides, i think a mighty lot of that dog. i couldnt believe my eyes when i seen m just now. i thought i was dreamin. it was too good to be true. his mother died, and i brought m up on condensed milk at two dollars a can when i couldnt afford it in my own coffee. he never knew any mother but me. he used to suck my finger regular, the darn little pup - that finger right there! 13 he was still gazing at his extended finger when madge began to speak. 14 but the dog, she said. you havent considered the dog. 4x what does the author mean in paragraph 12 when he uses the phrase \the easiest way to temper his refusal\? a to eliminate the existence of skiffs negative feelings b to suppress his feelings about letting the dog go c to anger the recipient to whom the character is speaking d to soften his ability to deny what he has the character say

Explanation:

The phrase "temper his refusal" means to make his refusal less harsh. Skiff Miller is trying to soften his 'no - selling' stance by talking about the dog's history and his attachment. He is not trying to eliminate negative feelings, suppress feelings about letting the dog go in the sense of emotions related to separation, or anger the other person. He is simply trying to make his denial more palatable.

Answer:

D. to soften his ability to deny what he has the character say