Question

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales.

The pardon-seller’s hair was yellow as wax,
And sleekly hanging, like a hank of flax.
In meagre clusters hung what hair he had;
Over his shoulders a few strands were spread,
But they lay thin, in rat’s tails, one by one.
As for a hood, for comfort he wore none,
For it was stowed away in his knapsack.
Save for a cap, he rode with head all bare,
Hair loose; he thought it was the dernier cri.
He had big bulging eyes, just like a hare.
He’d sewn a veronica on his cap.
His knapsack lay before him, on his lap,
Chockful of pardons, all come hot from Rome.
His voice was like a goat’s, plaintive and thin.

Which statement best describes the narrator’s perception of the pardon-seller in this excerpt?

The unfavorable descriptions of the pardon-seller’s physical appearance imply that the narrator thinks poorly of this character.
Though the narrator describes the pardon-seller’s appearance in negative terms, he also makes it clear that he really likes this man.
The favorable descriptions of the pardon-seller’s physical appearance imply that the narrator thinks highly of this character.
Though the narrator describes the pardon-seller’s appearance in positive terms, he also makes it clear that he really dislikes this man.

Answer 1

The first statement is best. The narrator uses many negative physical details (rat’s-tail hair, bulging eyes, goat‑like voice, etc.) and mocking tone, implying he thinks poorly of the pardoner.