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from Behind the Scenes

This little fellow had his acquaintances among his father's friends, and I chanced to be one of them. He never failed to seek me out in the crowd, shake hands, and make some pleasant remark; and this, in a boy of ten years of age, was, to say the least, endearing to a stranger. But he had more than mere affectionateness. His self-possession-aplomb, as the French call it-was extraordinary. I was one day passing the White House, when he was outside with a play-fellow on the side-walk. [Secretary] Seward drove in, with Prince Napoleon and two of his suite in the carriage; and, in a mock-heroic way-terms of intimacy evidently existing between the boy and the Secretary-the official gentleman took off his hat, and the Napoleon did the same, all making the young Prince President a ceremonious salute. Not a bit staggered with the homage, Willie drew himself up to his full height, took off his little cap with graceful self-possession, and bowed down formally to the ground, like a little ambassador. They drove past, and he went on unconcernedly with his play: the impromptu readiness and good judgment being clearly a part of his nature. His genial and open expression of countenance was none the less ingenuous and fearless for certain tincture of fun; and it was in this a mingling of qualities that he so faithfully resembled his father.

Which of the author's claims about Willie Lincoln is most fully developed in this passage?

1. Willie "never failed to... shake hands, and make some pleasant remark."

2. Willie's "self-possession was extraordinary."

3. Willie had a "genial... expression of countenance."

4. Willie's "mingling of qualities... faithfully resembled [that of] his father."

1 answer

The claim that is most fully developed in this passage is:

  1. Willie's "self-possession was extraordinary."

This is emphasized through the description of his behavior during the encounter with Secretary Seward and Prince Napoleon, where Willie responds to the formal salute with confidence and composure, demonstrating his extraordinary self-possession. The detailed account of his reaction—drawing himself up, bowing formally, and then returning to play with unconcern—illustrates this quality clearly.