Excerpt from Music to My Ears
John Devine
6After all, I had gotten used to the way students talked after I had been teaching for a few years. The confusion started all over again, however, when I moved to the Deep South. “I might could finish that essay by tomorrow, Mr. D.,” Said Scarlet, a new student of mine. She may have been the first southern belle I ever met. With her it was always "Y'all hush" or "Hand me that there yonder pen." (She pronounced "pen" with two syllables, by the way.)
7I just about fell over when she said might could. “Scarlet,” I said, “You might finish the essay or you could finish the essay, but you can’t might could finish the essay.”
8“come again, Mr. D.?”
9I rubbed my eyes and wondered silently if perhaps her accent wasn’t as false as her eyelashes. “There ain’t no mights or coulds about it, Scarlet. Just write the darn essay.”
10"I declare, Mr. D.! If you ain't the tetchiest teacher I ever did meet! No need to have a conniption!"
"If you ain't the tetchiest teacher I ever did meet!"
What does Scarlet mean by this statement?
A) She means that her teacher is unfair.
B) She means that her teacher is depressed.
C) She means that her teacher is intelligent.
D) She means that her teacher is easily annoyed.
