What can be inferred from this excerpt from "Rip Van Winkle"?

a. Rip is upset by the news of his wife's death.

b. Rip is relieved by the news of his wife's death.

c. Rip is confused by the news of his wife's death.

d. Rip is unmoved by the news of his wife's death.

d. Rip is unmoved by the news of his wife's death.

Explanation:

Washington Irving's short story "Rip van Winkle" tells the fantasy story of how the protagonist 'slept' through two decades to up to a whole new world, completely different from his last one.

Before the "sleep", Rip van Winkle had gone to the mountains to escape his wife's constant nagging, taking his dog with him. There, he met a group of strange old men who gave him a drink. The next time he woke up, things had completely changed. His dog was no more, the village had look different, his children had grown up and had children of their own and even the American colony had gained independence from the British.

Once home, he asked about his wife, he was told that she had died "a short time since", giving him "a drop of comfort, at least, in this intelligence". He was unmoved with the death of his wife. Rather, he exclaimed to his daughter and told him his identity. He spent his life hanging around "the rising generation, with whom he soon grew into great favor".