I rebelled against the king of the genii. To punish me, he shut me up in this vase of copper, and he put on the leaden cover his seal, which is enchantment enough to prevent my coming out. Then he had the vase thrown into the sea. During the first period of my captivity I vowed that if anyone should free me before a hundred years were passed, I would make him rich even after his death. But that century passed, and no one freed me. In the second century I vowed that I would give all the treasures in the world to my deliverer; but he never came.

Question

In the third, I promised to make him a king, to be always near him, and to grant him three wishes every day; but that century passed away as the other two had done, and I remained in the same plight. At last I grew angry at being captive for so long, and I vowed that if anyone would release me I would kill him at once, and would only allow him to choose in what manner he should die. So you see, as you have freed me today, choose in what way you will die.

–“The Story of the Fisherman,”

Andrew Lang

Based on the evidence in this text, what is the best inference about the genii’s motivation?

He is motivated by the kindness of mortals.
He is motivated by vengeance for how he was treated.
He is motivated by his power as the king of the genii.
He is motivated by his declaration that he is a generous being.

Answer 1

Based on the text, the best inference about the genii's motivation is:

He is motivated by vengeance for how he was treated.

This conclusion is supported by the genii’s progression of vows which start with a promise of rewards but end in anger and a desire for revenge, indicating a shift from generous intentions to a desire to retaliate for his long captivity.