YEVGRAF IVANOVITCH SHIRYAEV, a small farmer, whose father, a parish priest, now deceased, had received a gift of three hundred acres of land from Madame Kuvshinikov, a general’s widow, was standing in a corner before a copper washing-stand, washing his hands. As usual, his face looked anxious and ill-humoured, and his beard was uncombed.
“What weather!” he said. “It is not laid upon us. It’s raining again!”
He grumbled on, while his family sat waiting at table for him to have finished washing his hands before beginning dinner. Fedosya Semyonova, his wife, his son Pyotr, a student, his eldest daughter Varvaram and three small boys, has been sitting waiting a long time. The boys – Kolka, Vanka and Arhipka – grubby, snub-nosed little fellows with chubby faces and tousled hair that wanted cutting, moved their chairs impatiently, while their elders sat without stirring and apparently did not care whether they ate their dinner or waited…
It appears from the passage that the character of Yevgrab Ivanovitch Shiryaev was:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Grumpy and complaining
The passage says that as usual, his face looked anxious and ill-humoured; he complains about the weather (“What weather! ... It's raining again!”), and he grumbled on while his family waited. Ill-humoured means bad-tempered, and to grumble is to complain in a low, unhappy voice. Together they show a grumpy, complaining man.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Very Friendly, jovial and attractive — Incorrect. Contradicted: Jovial means cheerful and friendly. Yevgraf is anxious and ill-humoured, with an uncombed beard, so he is neither jovial nor attractive.
Example: The jovial host laughed and joked with every guest.
Option 2: Aristocratic, disdainful and aloof — Incorrect. Contradicted: Disdainful means showing that one thinks others are not good enough, and aloof means distant and unfriendly. Yevgraf is a small farmer, not an aristocrat, and the passage shows him complaining, not looking down on people.
Example: The new manager stayed aloof and never chatted with the staff.
Option 3: Sad, morose, timid but cunning — Incorrect. Contradicted: Morose means gloomy and silent. Yevgraf is not silent (he grumbles aloud), and nothing shows him to be timid or cunning.
Example: After losing the match, he sat morose in a corner.