Read the passage.
from The Schoolmaster's Progress
The spelling-school is one of the ordinary winter amusements in
the country. It occurs once in a fortnight, or so, and has power to draw
out all the young people for miles round, arrayed in their best clothes
and their holiday behavior. When all is ready, umpires are elected, and
after these have taken the distinguished place usually occupied by the
teacher, the young people of the school choose the two best scholars to
head the opposing classes. These leaders choose their followers from the
mass, each calling a name in turn, until all the spellers are ranked on one
side or the other, lining the sides of the room, and all standing. The
schoolmaster, standing too, takes his spelling-book, and gives a placid yet
awe-inspiring look along the ranks, remarking that he intends to be very
impartial, and that he shall give out nothing that is not in the
spelling-book. For the first half hour or so he chooses common and easy
words, that the spirit of the evening may not be damped by the too early
thinning of the classes.
Middanth
What does the description of the schoolmaster in this excerpt most
clearly suggest about him?
1. He is calm and fair.
O2. He is firm and strict.
3. He is generous and friendly.
4. He is respectful and competitive.