Question

Read this excerpt from "The Pardoner's Tale." in which the old man is speaking to the rioters.

"Well, sirs, he said, "if it be your design/to find out Death,turn up this crooked way/Towards that grave,I left him there today/Under a tree, and there you will find him waiting."

What is he doing by telling them something that he himself knows is not true?

A: He is trying to get them to find Death, so they will die.***

B:He is encouraging them to drive Death from the region.

C:He is mocking their belief that Death is a literal person.

D:He is trying to keep them from learning that they are already dead.

Is A correct?

Answer 1

I think all of these choices are wrong. I think he is warning them that their actions, their "path", will lead to death, which they may not desire. I don't know what to tell you as to which answer might be "correct" when you are graded.

Answer 2

Fair enough. Those are the choices given. Thank you!

Answer 3

I agree with Reed that none of these answer choices are terrific.

The only one I'd choose, though, is C -- and that's because the others are so "off the wall"!

Answer 4

The key to which is the right answer is within the question itself. The words "something that he himself knows is not true" should suggest an answer. Apply this statement to the quotation and see which option makes the most sense.