Question

Review the passage.
"I don't exactly know how to say this," he began.
"Well, just say it," said Jem. "Have we done something?"
Our father was actually fidgeting. "No, I just want to explain to you that—your Aunt Alexandra asked me . . . son, you know you're a Finch, don't you?"
"That's what I've been told." Jem looked out of the corners of his eyes. His voice rose uncontrollably. "Atticus, what's the matter?"
Atticus crossed his knees and folded his arms. "I'm trying to tell you the facts of life."
Jem's disgust deepened. "I know all that stuff," he said.
Atticus suddenly grew serious. In his lawyer's voice, without a shade of inflection, he said: "Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations' gentle breeding—" Atticus paused, watching me locate an elusive redbug on my leg.
"Gentle breeding," he continued, when I had found and scratched it, "and that you should try to live up to your name—" Atticus persevered in spite of us: "She asked me to tell you you must try to behave like the little lady and gentleman that you are. She wants to talk to you about the family and what it's meant to Maycomb County through the years, so you'll have some idea of who you are, so you might be moved to behave accordingly," he concluded at a gallop.
Stunned, Jem and I looked at each other, then at Atticus, whose collar seemed to worry him. We did not speak to him.
Presently I picked up a comb from Jem's dresser and ran its teeth along the edge.
"Stop that noise," Atticus said.
His curtness stung me. The comb was midway in its journey, and I banged it down. For no reason I felt myself beginning to cry, but I could not stop. This was not my father. My father never thought these thoughts. My father never spoke so. Aunt Alexandra had put him up to this, somehow. Through my tears I saw Jem standing in a similar pool of isolation, his head cocked to one side.
There was nowhere to go, but I turned to go and met Atticus's vest front. I buried my head in it and listened to the small internal noises that went on behind the light blue cloth: his watch ticking, the faint crackle of his starched shirt, the soft sound of his breathing.
"Your stomach's growling," I said.
"I know it," he said.
"You better take some soda."
"I will," he said.
"Atticus, is all this behavin' an' stuff gonna make things different? I mean are you—?"
I felt his hand on the back of my head. "Don't you worry about anything," he said. "It's not time to worry."
When I heard that, I knew he had come back to us. The blood in my legs began to flow again, and I raised my head. "You really want us to do all that? I can't remember everything Finches are supposed to do . . ."
"I don't want you to remember it. Forget it."
He went to the door and out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He nearly slammed it, but caught himself at the last minute and closed it softly.
From Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. Copyright 1960 by Harper Lee
Which of the following most likely describes Atticus's usual attitude toward his children's behavior?
he is confident their behavior will improve as they get older
he is upset by the way they disobey aunt alexandra
he is generally accepting of the way they behave
he is frustrated by their emotional outburst

Answer 1

The option that most likely describes Atticus's usual attitude toward his children's behavior is:

**he is generally accepting of the way they behave.**

Throughout the passage, Atticus shows a desire to communicate important values to Jem and Scout, but he also demonstrates a degree of understanding and patience. Despite Aunt Alexandra's expectations, Atticus ultimately tells them to "Forget it," indicating his acceptance of their individuality and behavior. His response suggests that he does not want to impose rigid standards on them and is more interested in their emotional well-being than adhering strictly to social norms.