16. Read the following lines from the poem "The Divine Comedy."

But I had hardly started when I spied a leopard in my pathway, lithe and fleet, all covered with a sleek and spotted hide. And as I faced it, it would not retreat, but paced before me and so blocked my way that more than once I had to turn my feet

The speaker describes the leopard as "lithe and fleet" most likely to imply that (1 point)

A. the pathway is too narrow for the leopard to pass by.
B. the leopard appears graceful but can be treacherous.
C. the narrator should run quickly away from the leopard.
D. the leopard is staring at the speaker with a hungry gaze.

is the correct answer B.

1 answer

B is the best answer, yes. "fleet" means fast, not dangerous, but B is the best answer. The others don't apply at all.