Question

alan was confounded when he caught a distracted nick repeatedly glancing at his watch. alan found this puzzling because mathematics was nicks favorite subject, and he was usually very attentive in class. when the bell rang to signal lunchtime, alan asked him if everything was fine. nick replied in a low voice that he would reveal a secret to alan later. he asked alan to make an excuse if others noticed his absence and quietly slipped out of the class. nicks furtive behavior mystified alan, who wondered why his friend was being so secretive. alan was lost in thought, trying to comprehend nicks odd behavior, when a loud cheer startled him out of his reverie. nick, along with a group of his classmates, stood in front of him holding up a sign that read \vote for alan.\ alan, who was running for class president, was touched by their gesture. alan was confounded when he caught a distracted nick repeatedly glancing at his watch. alan found this puzzling because mathematics was nicks favorite subject, and he was usually very attentive in class. what does confounded mean in this context? a. outraged b. confused c. irritated d. curious

Explanation:

The text states that Alan found Nick's behavior (repeatedly glancing at his watch when he's usually attentive in his favorite subject - math) puzzling. "Confounded" in this context means being in a state of confusion due to something unexpected. "Outraged" means extremely angry, "irritated" means annoyed, and "curious" means having a strong desire to know something. None of these fit as well as "confused".

Answer:

B. confused