Question

"The wife of the Colonel, her sister, and the governess, though they had been initiated into the secret, kept up pretence of knowing nothing; they sat in the dining-room and did not show themselves in the drawing-room or the hall."

Based on the context clues in the sentence, what is the meaning of pretence?

A. a dramatic act
B. an initial reaction
C. an emotional response
D. a false outward appearance

Answer 1

i would say d because if you look up what pretence means then you could make a comparasine 

Answer 2

The right answer is D. a false outward appereance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The noun 'pretence' is based upon the verb 'pretend'. It might mean to fake or to put forward an unreal situation.

Normally, both 'pretence' and 'pretend' have a negative meaning, it's usually linked to deceiving and presuming.

However, it's also used to talk about a game children like to play: 'let's play pretend, I'll be the doctor and you'll be my patient'.