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Unit 8 · Reading Comprehension English · 2020 cycle (Shift 1)

Passage III (Shakespeare, King Lear, 4.6.160–67)

Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand!
Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back;
Thou hotly lust'st to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp'st her. The usurer hangs the cozener.
Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear;
Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks;
Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw does pierce it.

About vice and sin, the speaker says that:

Pick an option to check yourself, or open the answer below.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. sin and vice are palpable in the weak and impalpable in the strong

Explanation

'Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear; / Robes and furr'd gowns hide all.'

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