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.

Which statement best describes how the pardon-seller is characterized in this excerpt?

He is characterized as a man who is quite handsome.
He is characterized as a man who is still very young.
He is characterized as a man who has long, thinning hair.
He is characterized as a man who has lots of money.

Answer 1

He is characterized as a man who has long, thinning hair.

The lines describe his hair as thin, hanging in "meagre clusters" and "rat’s tails," indicating long but sparse/thinning hair.