Which statement best describes Judge Parker?

• A. Short and wiry; grey eyes; clean-shaven; looked twenty
• B. Medium height; brown eyes; no beard; thirty
• C. Tall and big; blue eyes; brown billy-goat beard; seemed old but forty
• D. Tall and lean; blue eyes; brown mustache; fifty

Answer: (C)

Judge Parker is described as a commanding, imposing figure whose size and bearing convey authority. The text notes he is tall and big, with blue eyes and a brown billy-goat beard, and that he seems older than his actual years, around forty. This combination—height and bulk, distinctive beard, and a look that suggests both experience and strength—fits Parker’s role and presence in the story best.

The other descriptions miss key details: one paints him as short and wiry with grey eyes and a clean shave; another as medium height with no beard; another as tall but lean with a mustache and an older age. These gaps in height, build, facial hair, eye color, or age make them less accurate representations of how Parker is depicted, so they don’t match the text as well as the chosen description.