Question

charles himself saw a ball of fire fall suddenly from the heavens with a great light, just as he was leaving camp before sunrise to set out on the march. it rushed across the clear sky from right to left, and everybody was wondering what was the meaning of the sign ... but charles despised, or affected to despise, all these omens, as having no reference whatever to him. what does the capitalized passage say about charlemagnes character?

• he did not believe in omens.
• he was continually worried about his health.
• he believed his death was near.
• he believed in signs of destiny.

Explanation:

The capitalized passage states that Charles (Charlemagne) despised or affected to despise all omens, considering they had no reference to him. Let's analyze each option:

• Option 1: "He did not believe in omens." matches the passage as he despised omens, implying he didn't believe in them (or pretended not to).
• Option 2: The passage has no mention of his health worries, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The passage shows he doesn't care about omens (which could relate to death signs), so he doesn't believe his death is near.
• Option 4: He despises omens, so he doesn't believe in signs of destiny.

Answer:

A. He did not believe in omens.