Question

question 7/11
what is the main theme of this passage?
a the loving relationship between a man and his wife.
b the difficult relationship between a man and his wife.
c the confusion of a married man as he finds himself attracted to the housekeeper.
d the emotional strain of being married to one with many health concerns
reading passage
always been what starkfield called \sickly,\ and frome had to admit that, 30 if she were as ailing as she believed, she needed the help of a stronger arm than the one which lay so lightly in his during the night walks to the farm. mattie had no natural turn for housekeeping, and her 35 training had done nothing to remedy the defect. she was quick to learn, but forgetful and dreamy, and not disposed to take the matter seriously. ethan had an idea that if she were to marry a man she 40 was fond of the dormant instinct would wake, and her pies and biscuits become the pride of the county, but domesticity in the abstract did not interest her. at first she was so awkward that he could not 45 help laughing at her, but she laughed with him and that made them better friends. he did his best to supplement her unskilled efforts, getting up earlier than usual to light the kitchen fire, carrying in 50 the wood overnight, and neglecting the mill for the farm that he might help her about the house during the day. he even crept down on saturday nights to scrub the kitchen floor after the women had

Explanation:

The passage describes a man (Ethan) dealing with his wife who is "sickly" and a house - keeper (Mattie) with housekeeping issues. It shows the difficulties in the man's married life, such as his wife's health problems and the house - keeper's inefficiency in domestic work.

Answer:

B. The difficult relationship between a man and his wife