Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
At length the Parsonage was discernible. The garden sloping to the road, the house in it, the green pales, and the laurel hedge all declared their arrival. Mr. Collins and Charlotte appeared at the door as the carriage stopped at the small gate leading to the house.
In a moment they were all out of the chaise, rejoicing at the sight of each other. Mrs. Collins welcomed her friend with the liveliest pleasure, and Elizabeth was entirely satisfied on being so affectionately received. She saw instantly that her cousin's manners were not altered by his marriage; his formal civility was just what it had been, and he detained her some minutes at the gate to hear and satisfy his inquiries after all her family. They were then, with no other delay than his pointing out the neatness of the entrance, taken into the house; and as soon as they were in the parlour, he welcomed them, with ostentatious formality, to his humble abode, and punctually repeated all his wife's offers of refreshment. Elizabeth was prepared to see him in his glory; and she could not help in fancying that in displaying the good proportion of the room, its aspect and its furniture, he addressed himself particularly to her, as if wishing to make her feel what she had lost in refusing him. But though everything seemed neat and comfortable, she was not able to gratify him by any sigh of repentance, and wondered how her friend could have so cheerful an air with such a companion.
How does Elizabeth perceive Mr. Collins' attempts to display his home?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → As a subtle reproach for rejecting him
Elizabeth fancies that while displaying the room, its aspect and its furniture, Mr. Collins addressed himself particularly to her, "as if wishing to make her feel what she had lost in refusing him". A reproach is an expression of blame or disapproval; Collins never says it in words, so it is a subtle one, made through the display of his home.
Example: Her silence was a quiet reproach to her careless son.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: As a genuine desire to impress her — Incorrect. Misread: Elizabeth does not see an innocent wish to impress; she sees a pointed message about what she had lost by refusing him.
Option 3: As an effort to make her envious of Charlotte — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the display is aimed at her refusal of Collins, not at Charlotte; Elizabeth herself wonders how Charlotte can be cheerful.
Option 4: As a sign of his gratitude for her visit — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about gratitude; his welcome is described as ostentatious formality.