ShmoopTube

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Here's an unshmoopy question you'll find on the exam...

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If you need to breeze through the passage again, no worries. Just hit pause...

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Based on its context in the passage, which of the following is the best definition for

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the word "indignation" in line 56?

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And here are some potential answers...

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Context clues are great, because we can figure out what a word means without even bothering

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with a dictionary.

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To figure this one out, we've got to zoom in on line 56 and the lines around it to see

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what the Dickens... Dickens is talking about. Here we go:

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So is it A? Is the lady confused or bewildered?

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Nah. This lady may be old, but she's not confused. She knows exactly how she feels

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about sailors. Is it B? Is the woman angry or annoyed?

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Yeah, she definitely seems to be both things. We'll keep B in mind as we move on.

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How about C? Is the old lady profoundly unhappy?

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Well, she's not exactly bursting with joy, but it's not like she's depressed about

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it. So, we say no to C. Could it be D? Stubbornness? Try plugging

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it into the sentence to see if it makes any sense.

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Yeah, that doesn't make sense to us either. Sorry, D, you're out.

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Looks like B is the only choice left standing.

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This lady is angry and annoyed at those meandering soldiers, and she doesn't care who knows

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about it.

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