Question

the quest
by yevhenia yaroshynska
translated by iryna franko
① she told him how much flour, fat, lard, and meat had gone up in price again, that the vegetables were expensive, too; that the washerwoman was giving her no end of trouble—she had been hanging the clean clothes out to dry in the sun without drying.
② he heard her out, just like a schoolboy’s class register—this was the report he had to listen to every day when he came home from work, and sat down to have dinner with his family.
after they finished discussing every item in detail, she finally asked him how things had gone for him in school that day.
“oh, he had more than his share of problems as well! the young mykhaylovych lad was surely trying his patience. he was very mischievous and disruptive, but could not be dealt with strictly because he was the principal’s son.
④ “just imagine this, if you can! he drew a caricature of me on the board today and then wrote under it: ‘the teacher, wearing a coat altered by his wife.’ i think it would be better if you didn’t try your hand at tailoring—your alterations are making me the butt of the youngsters’ jokes.”
⑤ while saying this, he glanced over at his coat. its overly long coattails and shortened sleeves truly did not inspire any feelings of awe or betray an elevated aesthetic sense.
but his words got him into deep trouble! they were cause for real indignation!
things even went so far that his wife accused him of reproaching her for her hard work.
question:
which quote from the selection describes how mykhaylo felt when his wife’s view of him had changed?
a “oh, he had more than his share of problems as well!”
b “they were cause for real indignation!”
c “both the host and the hostess, dressed in their best clothing, anxiously awaited him.”
d “it was as if grey shadows were hovering over their class.”

Explanation:

The question asks for a quote showing how Ivan's view of Ivan and Vasyly's view of Ivan changed. Option D uses the metaphor of "grey shadows hovering over their chairs" to convey a shift in the atmosphere, representing a change in their positive perception to a negative, strained one. The other options either describe Ivan's work problems (A), his wife's anger (B), or a neutral moment before tension (C), not the change in their view of him.

Answer:

D. "It was as if grey shadows were hovering over their chairs."